


How To Train Your Soldier

by TheWritingNutcase



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A TON OF FUN SHIT, Dragons, I made the tags shorter because I needed to clean it up lol, Multi, The Survey Corps, Wow tags, at least i hope so, i put toothless from httyd into attack on titan sue me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 10:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 76,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2065326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingNutcase/pseuds/TheWritingNutcase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Levi's small world of seemingly endless death and gore, he longs for the day he can sprout wings and fly away from it all. But when the survey corps traps and attempts to train a dragon, Levi finds that the wings of freedom he wished for will come in a different form.</p><p>~~CURRENTLY BEING REVISED~~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trapped

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, welcome. One and all to the biggest shitstor you've ever seen in your life. I am TheWritingNutcase, and this is my first Fic! So if it sucks and seems weird~ take it easy on me because I'm still getting used to this writing thing xD if anything seems out of line it's probably because I've been editing the whole series since it started, and now with the finale I'm going back and rewriting a lot for the final draft. The overall plot will stay the same but certain plot elements are subject to change throughout the book.  
> Thank yall so much for reading this! I really hope you enjoy, and leave a comment if ya like it! :D don't be scared of me lol.

A black form raced through the underbrush, birds and squirrels scattering in its wake, chittering. The rustling continued and the creature burst out of the grass excitedly. It clawed its way up a tree, leaping to and from the branches until it finally reached the top, balancing on the very tip of a thick branch and peering out over the treetops.

It spread its large wings and let the wind fan over its jet black body. Half healed wounds and scars dotted the creatures hide in no particular order or pattern. They all had stories of their own, earned from years of fighting and struggle. A breath of fresh air violently fought for, a moment of peace sought after like a trophy. 

The animals skinny body was hauled into the air by its wings, soaring over the forest to find a lake that was huddled comfortably behind a veil of trees. It was a safe haven for the animals in the forest. Fish hid from lurking predators in the rocks under the surface, foxes made dens in the steep cliff, and deer had trampled a path to fresh water.

Among all the woodland animals, there was only one that stood out. Even the Titans weren't as exciting or mysterious as she. A hybrid animal or sorts wandered into their forest one day, bleeding and starved. Her meals were thrown to her out of pity from the owls and hawks until she found refuge by this lake, where fish and water were all she needed. But that was long ago. Now, she was the alpha. The queen of the forest and the ultimate ruler of the plains. They called her Jura, for she went by no name.

As she landed, her wings folded and she walked slowly to the waters edge. Deer at the rim of the lake bowed their heads and trotted away to another spot, leaving her to drink in peace. Jura nodded to a fox snaking around a rock with a string of berries between his teeth. 

Under her rule, there was peace and tranquility. Conflict was settled with a fair system, and everyone got equal privileges. It was almost perfect. 

Almost.

Every now and then, they come. They disturb, and they fight. Horses are enslaved by men and used to trample a path through the forest. They kill wildlife for food, and fight the Titans violently. But not without loss of their own. Bodies are left after large fights in the plains and the forest. Some are take, but others are not. Most are left behind. Bodies left behind are forbidden from being touched. She disposes of the, herself, leaving behind the horrible lingering decent of charred flesh that clings to the bark of the trees. 

Jura is extremely uneasy and protective when they come. She makes a complete 180, going from a gentle giant to a fury of flames in only minutes. She smells them coming, bolting for the trees and sending up an alert. There is no greater fear than the fear of being found by the humans. Or even worse, captured. 

There are stories of the Titans being captured by the humans. True stories witnessed by neighbors and friends, but doubted still. The only truth came from Jura, who claimed that she was a part of them once. According to her, they were horrible, violent creatures. But that's all she would say. 

Slowly, Jura picked her head up from the lake, water dribbling from her mouth, and walked off. The sun was starting to set, and soon, the curfew would begin. Nocturnal animals were the only ones excused from the curfew. Even Jura never went out at night. 

\---

Today was another one of those dreaded days. The queen dodged and weaved around trees, roaring her warning and sending the animals scattering to their dens. Her ears twitched and spun as the sounds grew closer, the pads on her feet vibrated with every galloping hoof that pounded the ground. 

Jura climbed a tree and pressed herself against a branch. Now, it was a waiting game. A terrifying silence was increasingly interrupted as the humans burst through the trees. A long, endless stream of green and white carved its way through the forest. Jura watched them fearfully and tensed as a few of them leapt off their horses and glided through the air. Their technology was simple to her, but still complex enough to be dangerous.

A titan ran after them, grabbing hands reaching out to anything it thought it could get to. The Titans were the only ones not under her power. They listened to nothing but the voices in their heads, following self-given orders to their small triumphs and quick deaths. She felt little pity for them every time they fell. But it angered her more to see how humans targeted them. Why did they kill everything? 

A human spun around a tree, rushing to attack the grabbing titan. The queen could take it no more. No more deaths in my forest except for your own. She leapt off her branch with a shattering roar and tackled the flying man. He yelped, but was silenced with a bite to the throat, head torn clean off of his shoulders. Jura let his corpse fall, spitting blood out of her mouth. 

Yelling and horrified screeches rose up all around her. Some were from the animals, most were from the humans. She could see humans in her peripheral vision rushing her. The titan was saved, but now she was the target. She rolled around a woman who aimed for her neck with swords and sliced through her wires with a claw. The queen spun around in time to whack off another man, sending him hurtling towards the ground. 

Now, a thick blonde man was right in front of her. She reached out lighting fast and grabbed his cloak, struggling to tear the blades out of his hands. Then, she was thrown to the side when someone body slammed her. With a surprised yelp she turned sharply and snarled. A brunette woman sped into her vision, climbing the trees and laughing. Why was she laughing? The girl turned and shot the queen a small wave.

Canon fire erupted from the forest floor, and it only took seconds for her to realize they weren't canons. Ropes shot out and reached for her wings, tying themselves tightly around anything they could grab. Her tail fin was tied, and her wings were useless. Jura cried out as she fell from the air, glaring menacingly at the humans above her until she hit the ground. 

She struggled hard and pulled against the ropes. Humans were all around her now, yelling and throwing a sheet of knots over her. Writhing and struggling, she succeeded in snapping a few ropes, but they were quickly replaced with new ones. Heat bubbled in her throat and her jaws opened to deliver a powerful blast, but her jaws were snapped shut and tied tight but a raven man. Snorting and writhing, she met his icy eyes for only moments until throbbing pain in her head enveloped her into darkness.


	2. Anger

Jura woke groggily, head lolling slightly to the side sleepily. Everything was aching. Her paws felt tight, her back was unnaturally straight, and her head pounded. The more her eyes adjusted, the more alarm crept into her stomach.

She was in a room that was lit dimly by a few flickering torches hung on the walls. It was a cell composed of old bricks and a barred wall that peered out into a hallway. Straining forward, she resisted yelping when she realized she couldn't move. Chains bound her wings, stomach and tail, suspending her slightly off the ground. Her paws were cuffed in metal bulbs, and she was muzzled. Growling, the queen began to struggling and writhe against the chains.

"Have a nice nap?" Jura stopped dead, pupils contracting to angry slits as her eyes darted to the approaching figure.

His hands curled around the bars, porcelain skin reflecting the dim firelight like a mirror. His build was small yet muscular, and topped off with a full head of Raven hair and piercing blue eyes. The man from the forest. She snarled at the man, but he remained stoic and unmoving. A man walked in after this one, a man she immediately recognized as the blonde from back then.

The blonde eyed her, and for the first time in a while she felt pure rage and murder slice its way down her spine. Her claws scratched the inside of the metal cuffs and yearned to tear through flesh and bone.

"Get Hanji and the food." The blonde ordered. The raven scowled at the orders, but left nonetheless.

Until he returned, the man just watched her. His unreadable blue orbs stared at  
her, noting every move, every breath. She could feel the shift of her eyes being calculated. He was a challenge. The familiar brunette, whom she assumed was Hanji, returned with the midget, toting with them a sack of tempting fish. Tempting, but not as much as freedom was.

"She's a murderer." The small man muttered coldly.

"Enough, Levi." The blonde scolded lightly. So his name was Levi?

"Erwin, do we feed it now?" Faintly noted. Hanji opened the bag slowly, shooting Dragon and Erwin questioning looks. He shook his head and she closed the bag.

The trio stayed a long while and spoke none sense to her. Did they expect replies? Some form of an answer or opinion? They wouldn't get it. Eventually, Hanji and Erwin left, and only Levi was standing beyond the bars. He was silent for a long time. He stood there for maybe an hour, next to the bag of fish, just watching. Was he assigned guard? Somewhere in their time together, he'd begun drawing on a sheet of paper he had on a clipboard. The action almost felt insulting. Was his job not as important as that paper? She struggled to focus on the sheet, barely making out soft black lines that took the form of her face.

"You killed 3 of our men." He finally said, snapping her out of focus. Her eyes narrowed. _And you've killed hundreds of mine._

"We'll beat the animal out of you if it takes months. I, personally, will see to it that this bullshit is knocked clean out of you by the time you see the sun next. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, you're going through boot camp. And I don't take breaks." He left without another word. She fumed and screeched in the cell, the sound bouncing off the stone walls.

I will kill you, midget, if it takes months.

Snorting angrily, she looked at the bag they left behind, shaking her head. She wasn't that easily swayed. No matter how hungry she got, how desperately her stomach cried out, she would not accept meaningless offers of peace. Especially not theirs. Her head rolled back to lay against the chains and she closed her eyes. Her kingdom was out there without a queen. But she would return soon. Yes, she would return soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/heichous-cleaning-supplies


	3. Threat

A booming yell woke Jura from her sleep, chains jostling when she jerked out of pleasant dreams. She looked around wildly, ears pinning when she heard Erwin right outside the bars call for Hanji again. The brunette strode into view slowly, running a hand through her messy ponytail and yawning. So she was woken up too.

"Tell Levi that everything's ready." As soon as she came, she left to get Levi. Exactly what was ready? Suddenly, Levis words were once again floating through her mind. So, boot camp, was it? She laughed lightly. This was almost too easy. Humans were no match for her.

He appeared from the darkness of the hall, holding with him a rope and a muzzle. Surely this was a joke? The bolts were released from the door that disguised into the bars, and Levi stepped in, almost too confidently for her comfort. Hanji stepped in after him with a clipboard and paper. Her eyes settled on the items in Hanjis hand, and somewhere in her soul, she felt fear. The fear she hadn't felt in a long time.

The two approached Jura and she disguised her fear with hatred. She snarled into the muzzle but neither of the two budged an inch.

"Estimated weight?" Hanji asked.

Levi studied the queen for a moment. "Maybe 2,500 pounds." Hanji nodded a little and scratched away with a quill pen.

"We need a name for the new species." She hummed. "Dragon?" Levi shrugged his okay.

"Alright, what do we call it? We can't call her "it" for the rest of her life." She pointed out.

"Beats me," Levi breathed. "What do you think?"

They were silent for a good while, until a name barely slipped past Levis lips under a whisper.

"________." He said it louder when Hanji poked him.

"I like it!" She chimed. _It's disgusting._ "The rest will have to wait until we get her In." She concluded, stuffing the clipboard and pen through the bars. "We're going to take you down now, little pet."

_'Little pet'? I am not little, nor am I a pet. I refuse to be called by this disgusting name you have chosen for me._

Levi reached for her muzzle, but the Jura shuffled and snarled. She wasn't going down easily. The captain merely grunted at her and grasped the buckle behind her back, fiddling with it until she fell forward. She had little time to protest while the buckles around her midsection and throat were undone. A rope slackened, and her tail was free. Her eyes darted to the side, keeping it completely still while she thought.

The cuffs around her paws were undone slowly as Levi noticed the sudden change in her responses. But she was the fastest to respond. Bottling to her feet and turning on her haunches, her tail swiped out and slapped both of the soldiers into the wall. Hanji hit it and slid down with a groan, while Levi pushed off and rushed the queen. She invited the challenge and leapt up, grabbing his shoulders and somersaulting into pinning him down.

Jura laughed at his surprised gaze. Did they really think it would be this easy? Her mouth was useless because of the muzzle, but she still had claws. Unsheathing them with a loud slink, she held them at the side of his throat. But she was stopped by a cool sensation pressed to her own jugular. She eyed Hanji at her side, the trembling woman holding a blade at her neck. Unfazed, The dragon allowed her neck to lean into the sword, blood dribbling down her black hide.

Her lack of care for the pain made Hanji backpedal, quickly taking the weapon away and grabbing Levi. She let the two leave in the hurry, locking the door behind them and not bothering to put her back in chains. She wouldn't have it any other way. She was left to her peace, but still her problems.

Her wings were still bound in chains, and her muzzle was still strapped on tight. _But . . ._ she eyed the sword thrown haphazardly on the floor.

Checkmate.

\--

Guards were sent that afternoon by the dozens. Posted every ten feet on both sides of the hall, they stood slackly and spoke with one another. Jura listened to their conversations from her spot curled in the corner of the damp room. She could feel her strength withering away quickly, and if she didn't eat soon, it would be gone.

The bag of fish was still there from the day before, it's smell taunting her and beckoning her close for hunger relief. But she didn't give in. She wouldn't. Not when they were around anyways. The sword was tucked protectively under her belly. The cool steel was a comforting reassurance that she would escape eventually. When they weren't looking.

Just days ago, she could take on this army of men and win. But now, her energy was spent like quick burning wood on stress and fear. She was waiting for their next move eagerly. Her cards were ready to be played with a strategy that was unpredictable and guaranteed her prize if she did it right.

A full two days passed until someone returned. She'd been given nothing. Guards changed and the sun rose and fell, but nobody came with food or water. The bag of fish outside her cell was rotten now. There was no use in going after it. Erwin returned with a fresh bag, this one a little more persuasive than the last.

He unlocked the cell, stepping in with the bag in tow and closing it. Even two days ago, she would have leapt for his throat. But she was weak now. And she was furious, because that's what he waited for. He cleared his throat nonchalantly and set the bag down, sitting next to it. The queen growled lowly and flicked her tail gently.

"You know why you're in this position." He started calmly. Jura snarled and hissed.

"Your lust for blood won't satisfy your hunger." He dug a fish out of the bag and set it on the floor. He wanted to play a game. She could see it in his eyes.

"Let me help you." She listened carefully. "The muzzle will come off, and you will be allowed to eat and drink as much as you please. But, only if you can cooperate. You will not attack, harm, or kill any soldiers. You will treat myself, captain Levi and all others with respect and obedience. Your cooperation and respect will be countered with cooperation and respect on the same level,"

"But," he continued. "If you can't cooperate, then you will not eat or drink. Have I made myself clear?"

Crystal. He's threatening her. If she refuses the offer, he will quite literally leave her here to starve to death. But, her pride wouldn't let her accept the offer. She could get out on her own. Snarling, the queen spat through the slats on the muzzle, the glob of liquid landing in front of his shoe. She could tell this wasn't the reaction he wanted or expected.

"Have it your way, then." He said grimly, stuffing the fish back in the bag and leaving without a word. Guards changed post behind him, and she was left to her silence once more. The dragon was puzzled. The humans appeared to want her cooperation, but what for? They never wanted it in the past. They couldn't be trusted.

That night, while the guards were groggy and tired, she put her plan into action.

Jura slowly stood, positioning the blade between her paws and eyeing the bars cautiously. Leaning down, the chain was pressed into the steel and she started to saw. She hid the loud clank of the muzzle falling with a fake sneeze, earning a loud yell to be quiet.

_You'll be the quiet one soon._

She turned and bit the chains off her wings, not caring if they made noise. Now, she was completely free. The guards were still oblivious. Parting her mouth, the queen let green smoke start to pour from her jaws as heat gurgled deep in her chest. The silent blast was released with a concussive boom, guards yelling through the cloud of dust as she bolted out of the room. The dragon plowed through rows of confused people. She didn't have enough energy to fight them.

She ran for a while, turning down long hallways made of cobble and stone, and sometimes she could swear she saw them flash before her as metal and cold. Finally, she reached a door, blasting through it and squinting against the bright mid day sun that invaded her blue eyes. Wings spreading, the queen used their aid to leap onto s rooftop and start running for the wall. It didn't take an idiot to know what was beyond it.

Then, a flash of green to her left made her veins hot. They found her. A body hurled itself at her, and she ducked away, snapping at their cloak. She could hear the wind parting around their bodies, their gear whirring to life and drawing closer and closer. How long could she avoid them?

Leaping off a rooftop, Jura entered a forest lining the village and snaked under the thick brush. Just beyond this was the wall. A little farther . . . A little farther. Then, Levi was in her peripheral vision. A green swirl whizzing past her and stopping abruptly, swords presented threateningly. Icy eyes narrowing, she pounced over him and grabbed his arms, landing and slamming his small body into the ground. She didn't look back as she leapt over a fallen tree and latched onto to wall with her claws.

Black paws frantically pulled Jura up the wall, leaving behind tiny holes. Finally, she reached the top and hauled her exhausted body over the edge. Just a little farther, I can rest when my kingdom is safe. The dragons wings spread wide and she leapt into the sky, but something grabbed her tail. She screeched and turned her head, startled to see a battered Levi grasping her tail angrily.

"get . . back . . here . . brat. ." He panted out. _No!_

Writhing an throwing her tail she effectively wrenched Levi off the wall and into the air. Jura threateningly held her tail over the ground 50 meters below where Titans had begun to gather. Levi looked down and she could sense fear slowly building in his system. He looked back up at the dragon, and she held a menacing gaze that slackened slightly as she studied his fear filled eyes. She contemplated throwing him back onto the wall instead of killing him, but a side glance proved that plan failed. Her strength was depleting and she was losing altitude with the extra weight. She had to make a decision.

Snapping her tail, she sent the man flying up and she grabbed his abdomen, diving down and around the Titans. Quickly, they gained altitude and she could already tell that he passed out from the G-forces. Humans are so weak. Jura adjusted her hold on the man and looked back. The wall was close, but she risked capture if she returned him. But what was the dragon supposed to do? Babysit?

No. It's too dangerous. Hissing in annoyance, she set her wings straight and headed back to the forest. He was going to have to stick with her for a while.


	4. Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter under construction

The wind blew against Levi's face, and he shivered at the cold night air. The light from the crescent moon lit their journey with a pale silvery light that bounced off the dragons midnight scales. Levi kept his body low to the dragons neck, trying to capture some of the intense heat that was boiling in the core of the animals body.

They'd been flying for hours now. Somewhere in the journey hed woken up slung across the dragons neck. Any attempt at conversation was lost to the wind. She was quiet, unnervingly so. The walls were long left behind, and Levi wasn't sure he would ever see them again. He had watched as the hot summer day faded into a gorgeous sunset like he'd never seen, and eventually into the cold night, the warmth of the sun long since releasing it's embrace on the world.

Levi felt tired and weak, but didn't dare fall asleep. Inside, he was terrified of falling asleep and falling off the dragon, he knew the damn thing wouldn't catch him. Below them, the clouds still drifted thick and heavy like the soup back in trainee camp. Levi gulped in disgust at the memory of that multicolored, lukewarm liquid sliding down his throat slowly after a full day of dealing with training and shitty superiors.

Sighing, he watched as his breath was carried away by the wind. His hair blew away from his face, occasionally falling into his eyes if he turned his head. Adjusting a little bit, he kept a tighter grip on the side of her neck, earning a soft growl. He would usually snap back, but he was too tired.

Suddenly, he felt himself sliding forward. Jerking from the half sleep state he didn't know he was in, he sat up and held out his hands on the dragons neck to keep steady. The animal was diving. Levi tightened his legs around _____s neck and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her neck. The wings tucked slightly and the descent began.

They dissappeared into the clouds, and Levi was nothing but amazed at the realization of being inside of one. He allowed himself to pick up his hand and run it through the seemingly soft material, but was surprised when he felt nothing but air.

'I have to tell Hanji about this when I get back' he thought to himself, wrapping his arm back around he dragons neck.

The dive was faster now, ______ having tucked her wings halfway. Levi watched the ground getting closer and closer, and an alarm went off in the back of his head. Before he could say anything, though, the dragons jet black wings thrust back out and caught them. He held back a yelp of surprise, and instead focused on the ground below them, sitting up slightly.

It was an open plain, with a forest lining the far horizon. He felt like he'd seen this place before, but pushed the thought away when the dragons wings began to flap and obstruct his view.

They glided on like this for another hour, and Levi fought to stay awake. Why the hell was he falling asleep, he'd pulled off days without sleeping before, what makes today different?

Once more, they began a descent. Now, they were in a different environment. They were gliding amongst the treetops of an ancient forest. Levi held on tight as the dragon gave him a signal with its ears to stay low. ______ dived quickly, dodging tree limbs and trunks on the way down. A leaf came up and slapped Levi in the face, and he shook his head violently to get it off.

In front of him, he heard a little chuff of amusement come from the dragon.

"Shut up." He half yelled into the wind.

Eventually, the ground came close, and the animal spread it's large wings to slow them down. Flapping a few times for balance, ______ touched down onto the ground. Levi barely had a chance to collect himself before the dragon tipped forward and flipped him over her black head.

"HEY! What the he-" Levi was cut off when her tail thwacked him behind his knee and he buckled forward.

He watched as ______ began to walk off and go to the base of the nearest tree, looking it up and down. She unsheathed her claws and climbed until she reached a tall branch and settled into it.

"HEY!" Levi yelled up to her. His response was one icy eye opening and glaring down at him.

"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!" He yelled, standing up and extending his arms out in question. The dragon huffed and warbled in annoyance, hoisting its black body to its feet. ________ swooped down and grabbed Levi by the back of his half cropped jacket with a thick front paw.

"Hey-THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT, BRAT." He yelled, kicking his legs.

The dragon flew back up to its branch, throwing Levi onto it carelessly. She landed behind him and sat, watching as the short man stood up quickly and whipped around, glaring furiously. She wa giving him a hard glare, as if to say 'Happy now?'. He pointed a small, pale finger at _____ and shook it slightly.

"Never again." Was all he said, before he sat on the branch, laying down and resting his head on his arm.

He heard the dragon behind him settle down and finally stop fidgeting. Levis eyelids closed slowly, lulled to sleep by her slow and calm breaths.

 

\-------

 

Back at the Survey Corps headquarters, plans were being made for the emergency expedition. Their goal: Find and bring home Captain Levi. Anything that got in their way was to be eliminated.

Anything.

Erwin was doing paperwork at his desk, furrowing his brow and tapping his quill into the ink pot occasionally. Although it was calm inside his office, outside was chaos. Word had spread quickly that humanities strongest solder had been kidnapped. Both soldiers and civilians panicked and wailed, believing that all hope was lost. It got worse when they learned he'd been taken outside the walls.

But once everyone learned that it was the fault of the Survey Corps, the tables turned.

The MP's were knocking on the doors of Darius Zackley daily, requesting arrest warrants and the jailing of Erwin Smith for treason. The Survey Corps specifically hadn't released any details about what happened, but the Garrison reports of a large animal with wings and fire power supposedly under the Survey Corps control was all they needed.

Multiple times Hanji and Moblit had to chase off MP's, usually Boris Feulner and Djel Sanes, that were requesting the Survey Corps commander surrender immediately. However, dirty looks from Moblit and death threats from a work-crazed Hanji were the only persuasion needed for them to flee.

Citizens in all districts and all three walls ran rampant. Burning buildings and rioting against police forces, they demanded to know where their savior had been taken and why the Survey Corps had kept so quiet about it.

To put it short, it wasn't good.

Through special permission from Darius, Erwin began to start preparing for an immediate rescue operation, currently referred to as Operation Levi. This brought not only stress to Erwin, but also a lot of paperwork and supplies requests. Most of the Survey Corps best soldiers and a few volunteering extras were to attend this mission, and told to be prepared to loose their lives. They would need two horses for every one human, since they would most likely be traveling a long time with titan encounters.

More supply carts than usual would be necessary. Maps of all kinds, gear, belts, uniforms, blankets, gas, food, horse tack, rope, and other materials were in current demand for the expedition. Erwin guessed they would loose about half of the soldiers that would be on this mission.

And he was wondering if he was doing the right thing.

Still, though, his men and women of battle woke up every morning, still put on their gear, still saluted him proudly in the halls, and continued to serve humanity with their hearts and souls. For that, he admired all of those under his command.

In the week and a half before the mission, Erwin was busy with paperwork, Hanji was internally fawning over the blonde as well as wishing death upon the MP's, poor Moblit struggled to keep up with his crazed squad leader, and Mike simply stood back and watched it all happen.

Erwin put down his quill momentarily and brought his hands to his face, rubbing his temples with his fingertips tiredly.

This better be worth it.

\-----------

Dawn had just barely broken over the horizon, its golden orange light strewn across the forest floor through cracks in the treetops. Amongst the trees, birds of all kinds sang proudly. Some songs were high pitched and complicated, while others were low, somber and short. All beautiful songs came together to form natures choir.

Levi just wished natures choir would shut up once in a while.

He laid on his back, hands crossed over his chest while he slept. His mouth was parted slightly, taking in the breaths of a peaceful sleep. A drop of dew dripped off of a leaf overhead, splattering on Levis forehead. Scrunching his eyes a little, one of Levi's hands slowly came up and wiped his forehead. He opened his eyes halfway and studied his hand, hoping to Sina it wasn't bird shit.

Seeing as it was just water, he sighed and returned his hand to his chest. But when he did so, he felt something on his stomach move.

And it had feet.

Levi was fully awake now, alert and a little scared. Slowly picking his head up, his icy eyes studied his gut. A squirrel was perched on his stomach, giving him an equally surprised look. Growling a little, Levi snatched it up by its tail and flung the creature at a nearby tree. The squirrel caught a tree branch and scampered up the rest of the tree as fast as possible, chittering angrily.

Levi let out a small "Tch", getting to his feet and brushing off his uniform. A few feet away, the dragon was curled in a little black ball, the tail fins on the end of her tail covering its face and blocking out sunlight. Levi walked over slowly and touched her tail with his boot.

"Hey. Get up." He grumbled.

The dragon picked its tail up, revealing an annoyed pair of blue eyes. When she met his gaze, the animal huffed and sat up, only to roll onto her other side and sigh heavily. Levi rolled his eyes and moved to push on the dragons back, but a paw came up fast as lightning and caught him around the waist, throwing him a few feet back.

"Wha? Alright, that's fucking it!" Levi got up and stomped over. She met him halfway and sat up, towering her noble head over him and narrowing her gaze.

"Take. Me. Back." He snarled. She blinked. "Now."

Jura POV.

I would love to take him back. Believe me. There's nothing more that I would like than to get this ant shit away from me. But I can't. My paws are metaphorically tied. Erwin's probably organized a search party now. And with those so-called wall guards on alert, bringing him back is a more dangerous task than it seems.

I might just kill him.

 

The dragon hissed angrily at levi, stepping forward and barring her teeth. Levi only got in her face. "You think i love being out here with you, hothead? I would love to sink my swords into your neck but nobody's getting home until I get home. So you either take me back now or I'll wait until the search party finds us and then you'll be in a shit ton of trouble."

She turned her head thoughtfully for a second, but action was quick to disappear. The dragon grumbled and dove under the short man, catching him on her shoulders and taking to the skies. She ignored his whining and annoying kicks to her sides. Were all humans like this? It was beyond annoying. Jura growled when Levis hand came into contact with a scar on her neck and snapped at the flesh. 

Levi drew his hand back quickly. "Dont you dare, you shitty mutant. I'll tear your teeth out." He snarled. Jura payed no mind to the empty threat.

 _You stupid human. I should have killed you hours ago!_ Levi continued to yell and struggle until finally she had enough. Her midnight wings snapped out for an immediate halt. The force from the sudden stop threw Levi over the dragons head, and he reached out to grab onto her, his hands waving wildly. When his hands found nothing solid to grab onto, his eyes widened as he plummeted out of the sky.

Jura watched the Raven fall and roared in surprise. _That wasn't supposed to happen._ The dragon curled and dove after him _._ Levi spun as he fell, and eventually leveled himself out. As the forest below came back into view, Levi suppressed a cry for help. The animal behind him roared again, calling after him. Levi turned his head in time for her to grab his arms near his shoulders with both of her front paws. Spreading her wings again, Levi was pressed against the dragons stomach from the force of the wind.

He struggled to keep his eyes open, and Jura roared again, watching as the forest got closer and closer. Suddenly, her grip on his arms tightened and the dragons back legs held him close to her underbelly. They dove through the tree tops, winding through the trunks and branches. Every tree was a brown and green blur, and the leaves were blown back by the speed of the large animal. They dodged and weaved around the trunks of the closely knit trees. Jura did a barrel roll, avoiding a particularly large one. They sharply turned a few more times, and Levi felt a wave of relief as the dragon shot out of the forest, the grassy plain replacing the forest floor. Jura looked down at Levi, still held tightly in her grip.

Her icy blue eyes narrowed and her grip tightened on his arms. _Clumsy and stupid. Just like the rest of them._ _  
_

 ***30 minute time skip***

 

Levi sat on a large rock, chin resting in the hand propped up by his knee. The dragon sat nearby, ears pinned since they landed and clearly cross with him. Oh well. The sky was a reddish orange, fading to bright pinks and purples as the fading black of night began to creep into the horizon. On the far horizon, half of the large, red sun fell slowly behind the plain. Levi wondered if he flew all the way to the horizon, if he could ever catch the sun.

The walls had always obstructed any sunrise and sunset. The only way to see them was to be part of the garrison or survey corps. So he very much enjoyed being here, able to see the sunset and sunrise every morning without fail. And from this rock perch, he could see everything. The large formation towered a good 13 feet off the ground, with a top flat enough to fit a dragon. And so they sat. The dragon still mapping her mental course, and Levi thinking of where the nearest Titan was, how they would get their next meal, and if he would ever return home to the walls.

Levi always saw the towering stone as nothing more than a reminder of where humanity really stood in this cruel world. However, it was protection against the titans, and for that, he didn't complain too much. Levi breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the grass and closing his eyes to allow himself a rare moment of peace. In the distance, the soft thumping of Titan feet echoed through the plain. It bounded off the blades of grass and curled around Levi's ear like a snake, reminding him of how small he really was in this world.

Levi stood, turning to face the dragon. "Where's the nearest stream? We need food and water, and I need a damn bath." He asked, looking down at his mildly dirt stained skin and clothing with a sneer.

The animal huffed, rising to her feet slowly. She stretched her wings a little before turning towards Levi. Lowering her neck a little, the captain climbed on. Since they left the walls about two days ago, Levi began to understand her body language little by little. Levi held on to the dragons neck, gently pressing his heels into the dragons shoulders. On cue, _____ raised her wings high and crouched, leaping into the air. The man kept his gaze forward, watching the ground below.

A few titans wobbled around the plain, watching the dragon soar above with fear-striking grins and overly worried gazes. Levi watched as a 6 meter type raised its hand towards the dragon, slowly closing it as if it was grabbing the animal from the sky. _______'s ear twitched when Levi clicked his tongue at it.

He called over the dragons head. "It's fine, just find a stream. Preferably one away from the titans." The captain suggested, settling down. He doesn't even know why he said anything. The damn thing barely listened to him. About 20 minutes later, they found a decently sized river with thick forest bordering the banks. The river was about 13 feet wide, and only 4 feet deep at its lowest point. Large rock formations stood proudly upstream a little ways, presenting themselves as natures diving board or sunning rocks. The sand was a creamy white, smooth and soft to the touch. Animal prints could be seen near the water, washing away to show the creature had gone for a swim.

The water was incredibly clear, revealing its bottom of pebbles and rocks proudly. Levi walked to the bank with _______ trailing close behind. He knelt down to the water, dipping his hands into it. The water was a little cold, but not unbearably so. The orange light of sunset poured down on the waters surface, causing it to sparkle and shine. The golden light made its way to the bottom of the river, bouncing off of smooth pebbles and sand.

Levi was pleased with his surroundings, and even dared to say they were breathtaking. The short man stood and stepped away from the bank, discarding his belts and gear as well as his half crop jacket. He carefully untied his cravat and folded it neatly, laying it on top of the gas chamber. Turning back to the the river, he discarded his (formerly white) button up shirt and began to scrub it in the clear water. The dragon walked behind him, stopped to eye him for a second, and then swung her tail into his lower back, sending him flying into the water.

Levi sunk into the river, flailing his arms and legs to push himself to the surface. He popped his head above the water and took a gulp of air, collecting himself before whipping his head around to the culprit. And there she sat, front paws tucked neatly between her back legs as she sat up. The dragons black tail waved slightly, making a divot in the sand.

Clutched between the animals jaws, Levi's white shirt hung, swinging and dripping slightly. Levi growled and waded to the bank, climbing onto the beach and glaring up at the dragons face. An undoubtable look of amusement shown of her face and she stared down at him. He reached out to grab his shirt, but before he could close his hands around the fabric the animal had run downstream a little ways. She turned back around and dropped her front feet, sprawling out playfully with a goofy smile.

"GIVE ME BACK MY SHIRT, BRAT!" He ordered while running after her. It's gunna be a long trip.

\-------------------------

"Extra gas?"

"Yes sir, I checked this morning"

"Good. Just to be sure, check again before we leave."

"Yes sir." "What about blades and flares?"

"Crated and ready to be loaded up sir." "

Good. Extra sets of gear?" The blonde questioned.

"Already taken care of sir." Moblit chimed, resting his clipboard on his hip and returning his ink pen to his ear. Commander Erwin stood out front of Survey Corps headquarters with Mike, who stood in silence the whole time, and Moblit. Reviewing the needed supplies for the trip, the commander was eager to set out as soon as possible. Sina only knows if Levi is even still alive. Never the less, they still needed to search for them and have hope the two would return.

However, not many others rely the same way. Of course they wanted their beloved captain back, but they wanted the dragon dead. The fires had been put out in Karanese District yesterday. The damage done will take a good six months to redo. Erwin nodded Moblit to be dismissed, turning to leave with Mike at his side.

"Go with Moblit, I want you to do a supplies check with him. I have some paperwork to finish. After you're done, get some rest. We leave at dawn." The commander ordered his hands clasped behind his back. Mike nodded, putting a hand on Erwin's shoulder momentarily. The blonde stopped, and the two exchanged silent nods before parting. The commander continued his walk to his office, thinking and planning. He didn't know if they would find Levi or the dragon. But they had to try.


	5. Captain

"COMMANDER, SIR!" A garrison member called from the top of a nearby building.

Erwin turned his head up to the figure and the soldier gave him a thumbs up, shooting his hooks into the side of wall Maria after getting a nod from the commander. Under him, Erwin's white horse snorted and stomped its front foot impatiently. The blonde sighed heavily, his breath shaking slightly from nerves.

There they stood. The Survey Corps. At least, some of it. Erwin chose a few of the finest solders the corps had to offer, as well as a few volunteers that wished to bring home their beloved captain. Among the roughly 20 soldiers that were a part of the search party were Mike, Hanji, Nanaba, Moblit, and Levi's squad.

Squad Levi had been restless since Levi's capture, and insisted on coming. And now they sat in their saddles, nervously awaiting the opening of the gate.

Erwin turned his head, nodding to Mike and Hanji behind him. They nodded back, and the commander turned his head forwards.

A loud creak echoed and bounced off of nearby buildings. A few soldiers stiffened, others gathered their reins. Hooves stomped and clattered on the cobblestone path, mixing with the creaking of the gate. Slowly, the gate began to recede into the wall above, the chains rattling with the strain. The outside world came into view little by little, the grass beginning just beyond the gate and extending for miles. A few worn down buildings littered the lawn. Some dated before the invasion, others from the attempt to farm outside the walls.

The commander gathered his reins, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he leaned forward slightly, digging his heels into the horses side.

"ADVANCE!!" He called, his horse shooting into the wild. The soldiers behind him called and shouted battle crys, their voices quickly mixing with the whinnies of their horses.

"WE BEGIN THE SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION FOR CAPTAIN LEVI! GO FORTH, AND CARRY HOPE ON YOUR SHOULDERS FOR OUR COMRADE!" The blonde yelled into the wind, his voice booming.

Garrison members on the walls cheered as the rescue squad departed the walls, shouting good luck and good fortune on their endeavor.

Sina knows they're going to need it.

 

\--------------

 

Levi laid on a surprisingly large branch of a giant tree, Jura dozing nearby. They retreated back into the forest last night, when Levi finally wrestled his white shirt back from her.

The raven stared up into the leaves that towered above, tracing the midday sunlight that left golden patterns on the forest floor. He reached a pale hand up and spread his fingers, capturing some of the light that streamed through the leaves and onto his branch. Wiggling his fingers a little, he relished the feeling of sunlight after a cold night. Out of the corner of his eye, something fluttered, and he turned his gaze to it.

A decently sized black butterfly with electric blue patterns drifted lazily through the air, choosing to perch on his index finger. The bug sat, it's legs gripping his finger lightly. He watched with slightly wide eyes as the bug opened and closed its wings slowly. Next to him, Jura lain on her side, dozing. She watched the butterfly with bright blue eyes, picking up her head and perking her ears slightly. Levi barely noticed this, and instead brought the delicate creature closer to his face, examining it.

Carefully, he sat up and crossed his legs. The captain brought his left hand up to touch the creatures wing, his eyes wide like a child's. The butterfly left his finger before he could touch it, gliding by his face and brushing his cheek with the soft wing. The raven duo watched the butterfly soar into the treetops until it was gone.

Levi let out a sigh, pushing himself to his feet. The captain looked over the edge of the branch at the titans below. A few aberrants had gathered, lazily watching the tree branch with crazed smiles and neutral gazes. Levi looked at his gear, more specifically in the boxes that hung at his sides. He wished they were full of blades so he could go down there and wipe those fucking smiles off of their ugly faces.

Turning back around, Levi stretched for a while, as did Jura. The captains stomach rumbled, and both of them froze. They listened for the sound again, and sure enough, it was Levi's stomach. The dragon turned her head towards him, face scrunched in disgust.

"You try not eating for a few days." He growled, walking towards the animal. "Let's try to find some food. Any ideas?" He questioned, tilting his head towards her slightly and folding his arms.

Her ears twitched in thought. She seemed to crunch her face for a moment, then looked up with a soft nod. She bent her shoulder hesitantly. She was never really used to the weight, he guessed. 

**3 hour time skip**

"Hey, i said find a pond, not a new civilization. Where the hell are we going?" Levi groaned, tired from sitting for so long.

A black ear shot back and slapped Levi's arm. The dragon warbled slightly, as if telling him to calm down. She gave the signal to hold on, and as Levi leaned forward they began a sharp descent. Her black wings folded, and they plummeted from the sky. Slowly, the wings began to unfold, catching the wind. The ground came into view and Jura glided to the grass, landing softly.

They were on some sort of cliff. The land curved up slightly, but obviously dropped off some ways ahead. Levi looked down at the ground, more specifically the large amounts that littered the rough grass.

In the distance, Levi heard a weird roaring. It got louder, and then softer. But it never stayed constant. Sometimes the sounds overlapped. Levi stiffened, hearing the familiar thud of Titan footsteps some ways away. He whipped his head around, looking for it, but didn't see that familiar tan body. The dragon let out a huff, and the raven turned around to see that Jura had begun walking to the cliffs edge.

She looked back and saw that Levi wasn't following. Turning around, the dragon walked back to the short man and pushed him forward with her wing. He stumbled a little, growling at the animal who simply rolled her eyes and pushed him again.

The roaring got louder as he neared the cliffs edge, and he quickened his pace a little. As he neared the edge, he was at a dead run. The short man skidded to a halt just before the drop, staring out at the scenery below.

A large body of water, a beautiful green in some places and bright blue in others. It stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. At the banks, the water raised and crashed, leaving a slightly dark line. The whole waters edge was a huge band of creamy white sand. Not a speck of dirt to be seen. It was just like he'd read in a book he found in his office one day. It was just as it was described.

The ocean.

Levi dropped to his knees, putting out his hands to keep his balance. He couldn't tear his gaze away from this beautiful sight.

Next to him, the dragon sat, content with his reaction. She warbled, bumping him with the side of her paw and gesturing to the beach.

The mans eyes widened, looking from the animal to the water, scrambling to his feet. The cliff was about 50 feet tall, made of jagged boulders and limestone. Levi began to climb his way down when Jura picked him up by his arm, gliding down to the sand.

She was amused at his enthusiasm, following him. The captain ran to the water, his boots leaving divots in the sand. Levi stopped just before the water began, watching it and breathing heavily. ' _Isabel, Farlan, can you see this? I wish you could be here with me to explore it.'_ He thought, tracing his eyes over his surroundings.

Jura walked up beside him, motioning for him to watch her. She stuck her right paw in the shallow water, motioning for him to do the same. The raven sucked in a breath of air, carefully taking off his boots and socks. Rolling up his pants, he stuck his right foot out and hovered it above the water.

Carefully, he submersed his foot into the water. Suppressing a chuckle, he quickly stepped into it completely with his left foot. The water was cool and clear, and the captain swished his feet around. Stepping out of the water, Levi discarded his gear and walked back to the waves.

Suddenly, he was lifted into the air. The dragon has grabbed Levi by his upper arms with her front paws. The further out into the ocean they went, the deeper it got. Jura hovered over a spot about 50 feet from shore. The captain struggled against the animals grip, watching the rising waves below him.

"No, no. _______, NO!" He warned, cut off by being dropped into the water. The man plunged under water, opening his eyes. All around him, fish. All colors, colors he'd never seen before and types of fish he didn't know existed. Little ones, big ones, and medium sized ones about as big as your hand. Levi opened his mouth to gasp in disbelief, but it was quickly filled was foul tasting water.

Scrambling to the surface, he spit out the water, coughing violently. "GAH! WHAT THE _FUCK_!" He sputtered, squeezing his eyes shut. Above him, Jura still hovered. The dragon was making rapid chuffing noises that sounded awfully like a laugh. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the hovering creature, glaring.

"Yeah, you're hilarious. I wish you could explain to me why this water tastes like shit." Levi grumbled swimming back to shore. Pulling himself out of the water, his clothes clung to his body. His cravat clung to his neck, and he untied it, wringing the cloth out. Jura had been waiting back at shore after she decided to fly ahead. Looking over at her, he noticed amusement softly present on her midnight face. Levi growled slightly and flung his soaking cravat at her face.

The cravat plastered itself to her face. The dragons ears immediately pinned back and her body stiffened. Levi thought this was hilarious, allowing himself to turn his head and chuckle lightly.

**2 hour time skip**

By now, the sun was setting. The duo decided to set up camp in a cave that was carved into the stone wall, but right now they were sitting by the water. Levi was dry by now, thanks to the sun. He was sitting with his knees pulled up in front of him, resting his elbows on them casually. Jura sat beside him laying down in the sand.

Eariler, Levi managed to catch a few of the large fish from the ocean. With Jura's help, a fire was soon lit and the fish were cooked thoroughly. Levi had never been one to enjoy fish, but by now he didn't care what he ate as long as it would take the hollowness out of his gut.

On the horizon the red sun was disappearing behind the water, casting a warm glow on the blue liquid. The raven was deep in thought about many things. More importantly, home. The walls. This little vacation was nice, but Levi knew he had to fulfill his duty as a soldier. Even if it meant dealing with those trainee brats. Sighing, Levi knew what he had to do.

The raven stood, facing the open ocean. Jura lifted her head curiously at his sudden action. She watched the man as he stared at the ocean, a black silhouette against a changing sky. The breeze played with his clothing, the dirty fabric rippling over cream muscle and bone. He kept his eyes trained on the gentle waves as he opened his mouth to take in a shaking breath.

"Look, I don't know if you hate humanity or what. And to be honest, I don't care. But I have to go back. I have a duty as a soldier to fulfill, and Sina knows if Erwin thinks I deserted he'll shit himself. We aren't even supposed to be out here. If you had just cooperated, I would be back at home in my bed and not here digging sand out of my shirt."

Jura scrunched her nose a little and looked off elsewhere. _That's what Ive been trying to do the whole time, you ignorant biped_. _I didn't want to drag you around the world_. The fish was starting to burn and charr, someone should do something about that. Levi's irrtated sigh brought her attention back.

"Do you even realize what's going to happen? They're going to come look for us. The necessary material, the lives that will go into this. It's your fucking fault." He growled.

Almost defensively, she sat up a little and pinned her ears. "Don't give me that shit. Why can't you take me back now?"

Chuffing, she stood and let out a warning roar. _It isn't that simple! If it was I would have dumped you days ago!_ Levi didn't back down.

"Do you realize that if they send out a search party, people can die?! I wouldn't be so angry right now if I could get home by myself, but I cant. I need you to get home. So I need you to cut the shit and just take me back already." Levi stepped forward a little. "I know you don't give a damn about human life, but those lives are the only thing standing in between us and extinction. Every beating heart matters the world. You can't just come in here and fuck everything up! Why didnt you just cooperate!?"

Levi's tone was threatening. Back up softly, Jura snarled and roared. _How dare you! You all put me into this fucking situation! I swear, humans haven't changed a damn bit. Always so quick to blame everything else before they blame themselves!_ Irritated, Levi waved his hand and gathered his clothing.

"We're going back tomorrow. No shit, no lip, just do it. I've had enough of this godamn field trip." Levi muttered as he stalked up the cave.

The dragon just watched him go and plopped into the sand. _Just dandy with me. I should have killed him. Why haven't I killed him?_ She watched the waves roll onto the sand and ignored the smoking fish. The smell no longer bothered her. She should have been more careful in the beginning. Taken more time to throw him back into the walls or left him to die in a field. Humans were never going to change. They would be the same until the end of time.

Selfish. Worthless. Clueless. They thought they owned everything. That they could put chains on everything and claim it. Hell, Levi still called her by that disgusting name they chose back in the cell.

But she never put his life in danger. She never allowed it to be in danger. There were so many times when she could have left him and gone home. So . . . why didn't she? Was it responsibility? A sense similar to a bear and her cub? Or a natural instinct for protection, maybe? Yes, that had to be it. But she wasnt a babysitter. She had a kingdom, and humans were not part of it. So why was she still here? 

 _I'll just take him back tomorrow and then go home_. Jura thought for a moment. The thought of home seemed so welcoming now. Like a mothers embrace or an old friend. But at the same time, foreign in a way. Would they accept me back? Did they replace me? No, they wouldn't replace their queen. Surely they know I'm coming back for them?

Right?


	6. Fear

From what Levi understood, they were on their way back to the walls. The terrain didn't look familiar at all, but then again, they had been out for a few days. Levi had no idea where they were. He just hoped she knew the way back. Even though they were traveling home, he didn't feel any safer. If anything, he felt more tense. The dragon was quiet this morning. Very quiet. Her blue eyes barely flicked in his direction the whole morning. He wondered if it was because of last night. He suppressed a scoff. That's the last thing he needed: a mutant lizard with a grudge. 

He glanced up at the sky. It was about noon. Maybe 2, maybe 10. Does anyone even know how to read the sun?  Ah, it was no matter. They'd been flying since sun up, and he needed a break.

Levi and Jura found a river to clean themselves off in, and traveled to a nearby forest. They chose a large branch that towered high above the forest floor to avoid the titans. When Levi was with Jura, they didn't pay much attention to him. Sure, they'd grin up at him with dopey smiles and blank gazes, but that was pretty much it. He had to admit, he liked being ignored by those big bastards.

It was probably mid day, if not a little after wards. The canopy of the forest provided a wonderful shade from the boiling late summer heat. The captain sighed contentedly, his eyes closed as he dozed peacefully.

Opening his eyes, he witnessed a bird land a few feet in front of him, twitch, and then fly off again. His stomach rumbled and gurgled desperately, begging for nourishment. He pushed it aside, the hunger reminding him of his days back in the underground. Images of Isabelle and Farlan flashed through his mind and the captain found himself lost in the memories.

 

***

_The hooks of maneuver gear slammed into the side of a stalactite hanging from the ceiling of the underground. Three cloaked figures shot forward, bobbing and weaving around the limestone structures. They straightened out, two of the figures following one in the front._

_"Hey, big bro?" Isabelle's voice called from behind him._

_Levi flicked his gaze back to Farlan and Isabelle, sending her a questioning look. The redhead took it as a go ahead._

_"Where are we gunna get somethin' to eat today?" She called, swerving around another pillar._

_Levi trained his gaze on a food cart beneath them, thinking. With a motion of his hands to the duo behind him, the raven suddenly dove, his grappling hooks piercing the cobblestone street. Farlan and Isabelle followed Levi as they straightened out and aimed for the cart._

_Levi bent back and stuck his feet out, colliding them with the back of the salesmen. The man fell with a surprised yelp, and levi pushed off of his back, front flipping over the cart. The raven quickly spread his arms and grabbed a handful of food, landing neatly on the cob stone path in time for Isabelle to show up with a stolen basket. Dumping the contents into the basket, Levi signaled to Farlan, who swooped down and grabbed it._

_Levi and Isabelle leapt from the street, shooting their hooks into the distance. As the trio flew on, the salesmen's angry screams could be heard behind them. But Levi didn't care. He didn't care about much anymore, except for him and his friends._

_He flicked his gaze over at the basket in Farlans grasp, blinking once before turning his head back to the front._

_At least they would eat tonight._

 

***

 

A particularly loud chirp from a nearby robin snapped Levi from his daydream. He shook his head a few times, sitting up slowly. He looked over at the dragon, who was staring back at him, brows furrowed slightly.

"The hell are you looking at." He mumbled, brushing off his brown stained pants.

Poor Levi was an absolute mess. It didn't matter how many times he scrubbed his skin and clothing in the river, he still looked like shit. His white button up shirt was now torn at the sleeve and covered in grass stains, mud stains, and a few rips. His cravat was ripped at the edges and fraying. The once polished brown boots were stained with mud and soggy on the inside. The tan half crop jacket? Forget about it. It had been torn down the side and discarded.

His gear was practically ruined. It'd been through so much in the days past  that it gave up. The gas tanks were empty, the belts were wearing down, and some of the pieces were loose. After noticing a few screws were gone, Levi assumed it useless and ditched it by a river for good.

His hair was messy and tangled and due for a trim. A little bit of mud was smudged on his right cheek, dry and cracking off. His lips were chapped, he had dark circles around his eyes, and a 5 o'clock shadow lined his jaw. He was hungry, cold, damp, full of filth, and hadn't had a proper shit in a few days.

All in all, he felt horrible.

Levi lost track of how long he'd been gone from the walls. Judging by his scruff, he guessed maybe a week or so. But who's counting.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't wondering what Erwin or shitty glasses were doing. He'd also be lying if he said he didn't think about if anyone missed him or not. He missed the company of people, but he wouldn't admit it. At least he had ______ Sure, the dragon annoyed him to no end, but at least it kept him company and a little sane. Although Levi was sure he'd be completely nuts by the time he got back to the walls.

Levi looked down at his arms, noting how they looked a little skinnier. Not by much, but it was noticeable. Now before anyone panics, yes, his body is still in excellent shape. However, only eating a fish and some wild berries once every two days was taking its toll on his body. ______ seemed to be doing just fine on this diet, but Levi was starving to death.

 

Sucking in a deep breath of air, Levi raised his arms in the air and stretched, groaning when he felt his muscles sigh in relief from the tension. Jura took this as a signal and stood up, arching her back until she stood on the tips of her toes. She shook her head wildly, the action traveling through her body to the tip of her tail.

The captain walked over to the dragon, assuming the position on the back of her large neck. He kicked slightly, and the animals large wings spread, raising and lowering to send them into the air. He ducked as they flew a little too close to a tree branch, watching it until it passed overhead.

The dragon flapped her jet black wings a few times to keep the pace. Levi loved the feeling of flying, and got somewhat excited like a child whenever they would take off. But this was always concealed by his famous stoic glare.

A loud neigh suddenly echoed through the trees. Underneath Levi, the dragon stiffened. The distant familiar noise of many hoof beats made itself known from the forest floor. Levi found himself clutching to the animals neck, and looked over his shoulder slowly.

A pair of bright blue eyes framed by neat blonde hair caught his attention. The raven gasped slightly, but didn't have any time to do anything else when he was yanked forward. Jura was speeding forward, far faster than any horse could ever go.

Dragon POV

 _God damnit, they found me. Take the short man, do what you want, but I can't go back. I won't!_  Jura thought to herself, frantically thrusting her wings as she dodged around tree trunks and branches.

"ERWIN!" Levi called. _What are you doing?! You're going to attract attention!_  

A hook whizzed past her ear, grazing the side of her face. She moved her head away from the object, her eyes widening slightly when pain began creeping into her hide and blood trickled down her neck. Levi kept a tight grip on her neck, and she hoped to any god that was out there that he could hold on tight.

She pinned her ears and tucked her wings, diving to the ground. A few more hooks found their way to her hide, but she pressed on. Rolling a few times, she straightened out her wings and dodged a thick tree. In her peripheral vision, two figures on either side of her appeared and began to close in.

Jura eyed both of them, narrowing her pupils slightly. Suddenly, her powerful wings raised and thrust to the ground, sending her and Levi to the skies. Jura kept her fear filled gaze trained desperately on the sky, clawing her way up tree trunks and over branches. The soldiers were catching up quickly, shouting things to Levi that the dragon pushed out of her head. 

_Why wasn't he leaving? Why wasn't he going with them? Jump off, short man. Just go!_

Dragon and rider burst through the treetops, and Jura wildly climbed in the air. Levi's grip began to slip, and she fought back the urge to mellow out and help him. A rope came into her vision, and she slowed immediately. Jura thrust her wings out in an emergency stop, watching the rope with pupils dilated in fear.

Levi was thrown over her neck, and everything stopped.

Their eyes met for a brief second that felt like years. By now, a second rope had come into the game, wrapping itself around her front left paw while the first one found her right wing. The ropes tightened and pulled, pulling her to the ground. Panic rose in her gut and she roared loudly, blue eyes flashing a dangerous cobalt.

Jura watched as Levi plummeted from sight, instinctively curling after him. Diving quickly, she reached Levi and curled all of her paws around him. Folding her wings over her paws and Levi, she caged around him protectively and tucked her head. The dragons eyes shut tight as she plummeted at a dangerous speed.

Eyes widened in horror, the surrounding soldiers watched the body slam into the forest floor. 

As the animals body hit the forest floor, it made a concussive sound that made every soldier present cringe and cover their ears. The sound echoed and pulsed, ringing through the trees. Dirt and debris covered the surrounding area. When the impact noise faded, all that was left was an eerie silence.

Erwin hopped off of his horse, walking briskly to the group that lined the cloud of thick dust. His eyes were wide as he searched the dust, hoping for some sign of life. Above the impact zone, a large hole in the tree canopy was carved where the dragon hit the branches on the way down. 

"Damn." Mike whispered beside him. Erwin could only nod. 

"Do you think they're ok, Hanji?" Erwin asked the approaching brunette. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow worriedly. 

"I don't know." 

The silence was deafening. Every soldier was on edge, waiting for something to pop out of the dust cloud. But not a move was made, and not a sound was heard. 

"Levi?" Erwin called. No answer. 

"Captain!" Gunther called. 

"Shit." Hanji whispered, walking to the cloud. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come follow me on tumblr at  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies  
> For more HTTYD, SNK, and more!
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know how I'm doing! And again, I'm sorry for the late update!


	7. Prisoner

Erwin stood with Hanji and Mike, watching the cloud of dust. By now the soldiers had gone back to their horses, drinking water and cleaning their gear. He watched the cloud begin to settle, mumbling small talk to Hanji and Mike while they mourned. Suddenly, something caught his eye. His blue eyes flashing, Erwin walked forward a few paces.

A dark mass in the midst of the thick dust began to appear, and the commander began to walk faster. A pair of piercing blue eyes narrowed in anger and fear appeared through the dust, causing Erwin to halt.

The dust cleared a little more, revealing more of the black mass. ________ stood over Levi's form, snarling and growling furiously. Hanji and Mike ran forward, the sudden commotion attracting the attention of the other soldiers. They too, began to gather. The dust settled finally, giving a clear view of the situation. The black dragon was coated in blood and gouges, her right wing nicked and cut in many places. She snarled, letting out a roar of warning as she stood over Levi's body. Her front left paw hung limp above the ground, the rope still tied around it. Her right eye was swollen shut, boasting a large scratch that pierced the skin traveling from her right cheek to the top of her eyebrow, going right through the middle of the eyelid.

Hanji gasped loudly, and mikes eyes widened. They watched as the dragons breaths got quicker and shallower, until her eyes began to close and she collapsed next to Levi's body. Eldo burst from the crowd, running up to Levi. He studied the mans body, pressing his ear and hands to different parts of the captains body. He suddenly looked up at Erwin, a smile gracing his lips.

"He's alive." He whispered, repeating it until he was shouting it. "He's alive, he's alive he's alive he's ALIVE!" The soldiers began shouting and cheering in relief, hugging each other and dropping to their knees in relief.

Gunther ran to Eldo and lifted up the captains limp body, carrying the man to a medical cart. Meanwhile, Eldo ran up to the commander, breathing heavily in relief and adrenaline.

"He's perfectly fine sir! Not so much as a scratch or a broken bone, he's alive and breathing, sir!" He reported, saluting happily before turning and walking back to Oluo, who was currently holding a sobbing Petra, who was crying out of relief. Hanji touched Erwin's shoulder lightly. The blonde looked at her, shock visible on his chiseled features.

"She....she....protected him..." The brunette breathed studying the dragons limp figure. "You know what this means, sir?" She asked. The commander turned his gaze back to the limp dragon, nodding slightly.

He knows exactly what this means.

 

**************

**************

 

_Rattling._

_its all I hear._

_Why is everything dark?_

_More rattling, it never ends._

_My eyes won't open, or maybe they are open. I can't tell. It's warm. Very warm, suffocatingly so._

_A large bump causes the rattling to grow louder. A bird chirps nearby._

_Is this a carriage? I must be outside. My body, it hurts. Everywhere. I can't move. There's something on my arm. Or is that my chest? What the hell._

_I can't speak. I can't scream. I can't call for help. Someone . . . Please help me._

_________.

 

************************

 

Dragon POV

I pulled weakly against the chains, but they never budged. I'm not sure how long I've been in this little predicament, but I know it's been quite a while. Everything was fuzzy, slowing down and spinning. Everything on my body hurt, and I reeked of blood. My own blood. My wings were sore, my paws felt sprained, and I felt like throwing up. The most I could open my eyes was halfway, and that was only on the left eye. My right eye was stolen shut and stung. I must have cut it somehow.

I think I've been here for a few hours. Always falling in and out of sleep, but never staying in either realm for long. The stale scent of perch, trout and Hanji drifted in the air. A few scents were fresh, though. Erwin for example stopped by about two hours ago, while I was asleep.

It seems like Oluo and Gunter stopped by as well. Judging by the pungent sourness of the scent, they weren't too happy at the time. I wonder why.

I hanging from the ceiling, but I was suspended by my neck, gut, base of the tail, and end of the tail, laying parallel to the ground. Fantastic. The cuffs were back on my fore paws, which were bound together with an itchy rope. Same with the hind. A new upgraded version of my previous muzzle squeezed my face. My wing were held tight against my body by metal rings. Even my ears were pinned back by cuffs. If it moved or stretched, it was kept on lockdown.

I was left completely alone in here. Which is another topic i would like to discuss, being alone. A while ago, during Erwin, Gunther, and Oluos visit, someone came by. Someone in a frenzy, someone with high adrenaline. Whatever they did or said, it caused the commander and Levi's squad mates to flee the area.

 _'Levi . . . Where . . . Is Levi?_ ' I thought, brow suddenly furrowing. Shuffling slightly in the chains, my paw stung again. I let out a hiss of pain that was quickly silenced with realization.  
This was the first time I honestly realized I covered in cuts. Sure, it was acknowledged a little while ago, but it didn't really dawn on me that it was MY blood I was caked in.

And one more thing.

 _'What the. . ._ ' I thought, looking around wildly. I was in my old cell. Panic rose in my gut.

 _'Levi, WHERES LEVI?'_  Against the requests of my aching muscles, I struggled and writhed in my chains. They rattled and clinked against every movement, creating a loud symphony of clinking.

To my dismay, they didn't snap or loosen. I grew still, breathing heavily. Every breath was expelled through my nose, the two long puffs of steam disappearing into the damp air.  
Parting my mouth, heat began to bubble in my throat. I tried to open my mouth as wide as possible against the muzzle. The screeching began. The noise echoed and grew in volume.

The pitch grew to an ear splitting scream. I let the charge go, closing my eyes tight. The plasma blast exploded immediately, creating a concussive sound. The heat burned my face, and sent me flying backwards. The metal chains around my body melted instantly, the molten material rolling off my scales. I stood, breathing heavily as the rest of the chains melted. My mouth was parted in a furious snarl, and my pupils were thin black slits.

The stone cell was damaged in many places and began to collapse around me. I shook off a last chain and darted forward, shooting another quick blast at the gnarled bars. I jumped out of the cell, slowing myself down. My claws dug into the stone as I took off, the hallway crumbling behind me. My paws dug into the ground as I tore through the hall, eyes trained on another hall off to the left in the distance.

' _Im coming Levi, I'll be there soon.'_

 

**************

 

Levi laid in a single white bed, one of many in the hospital wing. A few strands of gauze were tied around his forehead. More gauze was wrapped up and down his arms, from his shoulders to his palms. His chest rose and fell slowly with every breath. The mans face was calm and relaxed, a pleasant change from his usual scowl or smirk.

A white curtain was pulled up on either side of his bed, giving him privacy from any prying eyes. A window to the left of his bed had matching white curtains that were pulled slightly closed, allowing a few rays of mid afternoon sun to sprawl across the dark wood floor.

The mans eyelids fluttered slightly. His forehead creased as he scrunched his nose a little. After a few seconds, the ravens eyes opened slightly. He sighed and turned his head to the left, blinking the sleep away. Levi's brow furrowed when his gaze came to rest on the white curtain. Sitting up quickly, he yelped when his muscled screamed from the sudden movement.

A nurse suddenly threw back the curtain, peeking her head in. Light silver hair framed her small face and neutral toned eyes. A white doctors mask covered the lower half of her slightly tanned face.

"Ah, you're awake, Captain." She exclaimed, striding into the room. "I am Doctor Fitz, I'll be taking care of you during your stay here." The woman explained, standing in the corner with a clipboard in hand.

Levi nodded faintly, just barely paying attention. He was sorting through memories and recent events trying to figure out why the hell he was here. Furrowing his brow, he looked at Fitz.

"What happened to me?" He mumbled, turning his gaze to his aching arms covered in gauze.

Fitz sighed. "Operation Levi was a success. The survey corps successfully brought you back from outside the walls. That dragon wasn't too happy to be attacked by your squad. They finally grounded her and separated the two of you."

Levi's eyes widened and he stared at his hands. Fitz continued. "She fought long and hard to keep you too. Shoulda seen her, covered in gashes and her own blood, sprained paw and damaged eye. She wasn't going down easy. What was her name? I think it wa-"

"_______." Levi growled suddenly. "Her name is _______."

Dr.Fitz cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Right. Let's start with the physical examination."

Levi sat still while she took his blood pressure and examined his ears and eyes. "It's pretty wild out there, ain't it?"   


He sniffed at her attempt in conversation, but humored her for a while. "The outside world? Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Actually, I was referring more to shiganshina." Levi cocked his head in question.

"What happened in shiganshina?" 

Fitz froze, turning a nervous eye to the side. 

"Well, maybe I should let your commander tell you. I thought you'd heard by now, what with all the nurses bustling about it in the hall. . . " She trailed off, her nervous tone alarming Levi even more.

"What happened?" He pressed. 

She removed the stethoscope from his chest and leaned back. A grim look washed over her face. "A giant titan broke down the gate to wall Maria." 

Levis is blood boiled and his stomach flipped. "When?! _WHEN?!"_ He demanded. 

"Just a little over an hour ago-"

Levi tossed the covers back and swung his legs over the side. His legs buckled almost immediately. His entire body sang in sudden bursts of pain and forced a cry from Levi's throat.

Fitz curled her arms aroud his and hoisted the man up and back into bed.

"Captain, I must forbid you from getting out of bed. You can't do this righ-"

"I can do it!" He snarled, shoving her hands off and gritting his teeth and a second burst. 

With a heavy sigh, she walked to the counters and shuffled around in the cabinets. Levi payed her no mind and kept trying to stand. He hissed as his knee buckled again. She returned holding a syringe full of liquid. 

"Give me your arm." She said.

Levi snarled again. "Like hell I'm letting you put me to sleep like a godamn child." 

"It's not a sleeping aid, it's painkiller. I can't stop you from going out there, but I can help you feel more confident in doing it. It was given to me by Hanji Zoe, one of your squad leaders. She told me to test it, and, well, I don't think there's any better time for this than now." She explained. Levi watched her warily and slowly offered his arm. He resisted the urge to wince as the needle plunged into his arm and released the serum.

immedietly he began to feel better. His physical appearance was horrible, bandaged and bloody, but on the inside, he felt fine.

"Give that a few minutes to settle in your system before you move again. Try to stay still. She left, closing the door and letting levi wait for the serum to work completely.

His mind raced. A titan invasion? While he was asleep? And what was this about two extreme deviants? In order to be strong enough to break down those gates, they would have to be . . . 

 _No_.

Just then, Fitz came in with something in her hands. At first look, Levi thought It was a towel. But a second glance proved that it was his uniform. Looking up at the woman's face, her mask was down around her neck, a warm smile gracing her lips.

"You might need this." She smiled. Levi walked up to her slowly, gently taking the uniform from her hands and looking over the clean and neatly folded clothing. "And these"

Levi looked up again and saw the woman pulling his gear out from under the bed, presenting it to him. She laid it on the bed and turned towards the bedside table. The woman pulled out the second drawer, retrieving an item from it. Fitz turned around and held out his cravat, freshly washed and neatly folded.

He looked at the cravat, and then back to the doctor. She smiled again and gestured for him to take it. "Offer up your heart, soldier." She whispered, sending him a reassuring look.

The raven took his cravat, slowly tying it around his neck. The nurse patted his shoulder lightly before stepping out of the room.

The captain straightened the knot often the fabric, holding his head high as he reached for his gear. His steel eyes shined as he traced his gaze over the belts.

"And so it begins."

 

***************

 

_______ burst through the tall wooden doors to the old training arena. Her gaze shot up to the hole she made those weeks ago. Growling, she spread her wings and shot into the sky. Catching a bent bar with her paw, she hoisted her sleek black body out of the cage and onto the top. Looking around, she raised her head and sniffed a few times. Her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of Erwin.

'Maybe if I track down eyebrows, I'll find Levi.' She thought dancing over the bars until she finally took to the sky. Beating her wings a few times, the buildings below were a blur as the dragon flew. The longer she flew, the larger the pit in her stomach became. And the more she wanted to murder that blonde.

Eventually ________ got closer to the scent, but a very different smell came into play. Sniffing harder, she gulped as she realized what it was.

Blood.

A lot of it.

_______ reached the wall, and she glided over it, reaching a district. Her face fell when she saw the scene before her.

A hole in the wall was visible in the distance. Titans were pouring out of it, practically lining up to get inside. They stumbled around the alleyways and roads, looking around. A few had humans in their grasps, looking down at them with no remorse whatsoever. Humans were running for their lives, screaming and crying. Diving down a little, _______ swerved to avoid a Titan that was walking in front of her flight path.

A few particularly loud screams from her right attracted her attention. _______ turned right and went to rest on a building. Peering over the top, she saw a house that was crushed by a large chunk of the wall. Looking closer, ______ saw a woman underneath some of the rubble, two children in front of her. A black haired girl, and a brown haired boy.

A Titan in the distance was walking towards them. It was tall, boney, and wore a wide, terrifyingly calm smile on its face. As it got closer, the two children seemed to be growing desperate. Suddenly, a soldier ______ recognized as a garrison member swooped down and grabbed the two kids, flinging the brunette over his shoulder and the girl under his arm.

The Titan eventually reached the house, and _______ watched in horror as it began to sift through the rubble for the woman. One of the children, who were now a few houses away, began screaming as the Titan picked the woman up. The Titan raised the woman to eye level, and the girl began to bang her hands on the titans fist.

It slowly raised the girl up to its mouth, closing its greedy jaws around her torso. Crimson liquid splattered around the surrounding area, a few drops landing on a horrified _______s face. The hot liquid rested on her nose, and she backed up, shaking her head wildly as she tried to get the blood off. Guilt filled her to the brim, and she internally screamed at herself for not saving the woman.

The guilt quickly turned to rage, and the dragon roared loudly as she unsheathed her claws. Darting forward, she trusted her wings down and lept from the building top, leaving a gash in the roof. ________ charged a plasma blast and shot it at the titans neck, slamming her body into it's back. Growling, she clawed her way up its back, leaving tiny holes that steamed with blood. _______ reached the back of its neck and finished the job by tearing her teeth into its flesh, ripping out chunks and spitting them out before reaching for another.

It only took seconds for her to tear out enough flesh before the Titan stopped, falling limply to the ground. The dragon pushed off of its neck, flapping her wings to stay put in the air. Her pupils were dilated and the blood steamed from her mouth. She breathed heavily, a low growl following each breath. Turning, she noticed the boy and girl were long gone.

Hopefully, they went to a safe place.

 

******

Hooks slammed into the side of wall Maria, the wires pulling taut as they hauled their owner up the stone. Levi grunted as he placed his boot on the wall, attempting to run up a few paces with the help of his gear. He reached the top after a while, hoisting himself up and onto the flat surface. Walking to the edge, He looked down on Shiganshina below. Down at the horror, the titans that moved about as if they were meant to be there. He sneered, bending his legs and jumping off of the wall.

The wind whipped through his hair and clothes, causing his cravat to come up and smack him in the face. He pulled it down and tucked it into his shirt. Releasing the hooks once more, he caught himself on a nearby clock tower. The belts all over his body tightened as he was thrown forward. Like a graceful bird, he weaved through the houses, leaning to and fro as he steered.

Coming to a particular building, he slowed himself down by catching the roof. Levi stumbled forward a few paces before gathering himself and staying put. A few titans were in the area, and he narrowed his eyes as one in particular zoned in on his inferior form.

It's giant hand reached out as it approached him. Levi calmly walked forward, extending his swords as he shot off on its shoulder. Whipping around mid air, he reattached his hooks into the distance, using the force to slice through its neck. Blood spurted from the wound and the titans head snapped back.

He went through a few more titans until his blades broke. He stopped to change them out when he heard a roar in the distance. Levi froze in place, turning his head towards the source.

'Theres no way . . .' He thought, sending his hooks in the roars direction. He went as fast as possible, and got to the source just in time to see ______ kill a Titan and launch herself back into the air. He slowed himself down, smiling a little to himself.

"________!" He yelled. _______ whipped around, steam pouring from her bloody mouth. The dragon smiled goofily, turning in mid air and flapping her wings wildly. She flew towards him, and he dropped to a rooftop. Reaching the roof, _______ dropped to it as well. The dragon bounded over to him, tongue lolling as she attacked the small man.

"Keep it together, _______!" He ordered, biting back a small laugh. She calmed down, and they both looked around.

The chaos around the duo was undeniably horrifying. A few titans began to approach them, greedy smiles and all. Levi and ________ exchanged a knowing look, and Levi placed a confident hand on the dragons neck. Smirking softly.

Hoisting himself on the dragons neck, Levi patted the animals head softly. She turned her head and looked at him, smirking as well.

"Let's fucking do this." He mumbled, leaning forward and kicking his heels.


	8. Battle of Shiganshina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to my trash. I'm so glad you love my trash enough to return every week for a new piece of trash. May I suggest awesome battle music, or even better, the HTTYD2 Battle of the Bewilderbeast while you read my trash? Idk man, awesome music is always in my ears when I'm writing.  
> This chapter brought to you by Dragon Battle, Battle of the Bewilderbeast, Hiccup Confronts Drago, all by John Powell, and Battle of Kings by audio machine. And if you haven't done so already, check out that HTTYD2 soundtrack when you have a free min! I use the soundtrack to inspire my thoughts and get them dragon juices flowin. And now I'm rambling again.  
> Hope you all enjoy, thanks lovies ~~~~

Atop the wall, a blonde man stood, his green cape blowing slightly in the breeze. His neatly parted hair was toyed with by the wind. An emerald bolo tie hung loosely around his strong neck, hazed with age and battle. His hands were clasped behind his back in a relaxed state of attention. The mans dull icy stare pierced the atmosphere, glaring down at every Titan that foamed at the mouth with warm blood. 

50 meters below, his soldiers fought valiantly. Each man or woman giving their sanity, their bodies, and their lives up for the good of humanity. He admired and respected every single one of them. As their commander, he was honored to watch them all grow from trainees to senior members of the Survey Corps. 

But, as their commander, he also had to watch them all die at some point. 

Many nights he spent in his bedroom perched on the end of his bed, doubled over in silent grief and remorse. It had been years since he'd last shed a tear. Years since he'd been able to. His tears had dried during his squad leader years for the final time. 

So far he had come, indeed. So far from the little boy who lost his father, so far from the young adult who became a squad leader. Far from the man who wore his bolo tie for the first time. He had seen the worst that hell can give. He had seen the gruesome scene that is a failed mission. He had witnessed firsthand where humanity really stands on the pyramid of life.

At the very bottom.

He has, however, yet to see the best that heaven can offer. Many times he wondered if heaves gift was death. But many times he refused to believe this answer. Death is a gift straight from Pandora's Box. It can come sweetly, silently enveloping the receiver while they rest. But it can also come violently, slowly and painfully ripping its victim piece by piece into the dark void that is the blackness of a failing conscious. 

Surely god would give a sweeter gift than this? But who was to ask such a selfish question. The answer can only be found in the forever silent minds of the dead. Erwin liked to believe that this was why spirits could not speak, they weren't allowed to reveal heavens gift. 

Well, that and, they were dead.

His focus snapped back to reality when he heard a loud roar. The commanders breath paused for brief seconds as he watched the black form of a dragon shoot into the atmosphere. The beast paused briefly, flapping its wings as it sped into the distance of Shiganshina, towards wall Maria. 

Pixis strode up beside the blonde. They watched in silence as a blue flash followed by an explosion appeared near the breach. A long pillar of dark smoke slowly climbed the air. The dragon broke from the smoke, a form crouched over its broad head. 

"Quite the little project you've got going here. It's interesting what kind of bond that man and beast can form in their darkest moments." Pixis hummed

"Of course, they've yet to see those times. I wonder how long this will last?" Erwin payed the commander little mind, but watched over his shoulder as the garrison commander left with a soft hum.

Erwin paused for a few seconds before turning. His gaze came to rest on the world beyond the walls. The green grass waved slightly. The leaves on the very top of the trees were blown harshly by some unseen force, their restless swishing could be heard from the top of the walls.

On the far horizon where sky met ground, darkness crept slowly onto the grass. The dull darkness of storm clouds began to cover the earth like a blanket of death. Somewhere in the clouds, a bolt of lightening fell to the ground, creating a distinct crack in the calm air.

Erwin watched the storm intently. Unclasping his hands from behind him, his palms came to rest on the familiar feeling of his 3dmg controls. His war calloused fingers closed around the finger holds tightly.

\-------

The wind whipped through Levi's ebony hair. His arms were held out to keep his balance, a blade gleaming in each hand. He was perched on ________s back, crouched slightly as he kept his eyes on a target aberrant up ahead. 

"Hold _______." He hollered to the dragon. The animals black ears twitched with anticipation, and Levi could feel the muscles under his boots ripple. The aberrant turned towards them just as they began to pass overhead.

"NOW!" He shouted, tightening his grip on his blades. _______ barrel rolled just as Levi leapt from the animals back. Shooting his hooks into the titans eyes, he flung himself forward onto its bald head. The Titan clutched its eyes in pain and roared. Levi ran forward a few steps and jumped, twisting around in mid air. Attaching his hooks onto a building nearby, he used the force from his sudden action to slice through the aberrants neck. 

Blood spurted into the air, steaming as it landed on Levi's green cape. The raven retracted his hooks, backflipping in the air and thrusting his arms out to his sides as he approached the ground foot first. _______ jet black form swooped underneath of his boots to catch the man, and he landed perfectly on her back. Crouching quickly to gain his balance, Levi praised the dragon.

The captains coat fluttered in the wind behind him as he curled his legs around _______s neck. Leaning forward, Levi pressed his chest and stomach to the juncture between the dragons head and neck. He kept his head up and looking forward as ______ flapped her large, black wings wildly, sending the duo forward at incredible speed.

Levi watched the area ahead as they quickly approached a cluster of tall buildings. Perfect territory for short titans. They passed overhead of a building, barely grazing the top. A blonde and skinny aberrant appears from the other side of the building. It swiped a greedy hand at ______ causing her to swerve abruptly with a loud yelp of surprise.

Levi kicked his heels a little, and _____ began to climb the sky. Holding on with his legs, Levi leaned back and looked over his shoulder, one hand on ______s neck. Steadying himself, he leaned back a little more, and ______ bent back with him, belly to the sky.

The raven narrowed his eyes against the wind as they dove. Retrieving his blades from their holsters, levi pushed himself off of the quickly descending dragon. Shooting his hooks into the cobblestone road, the raven positioned himself for the kill. 

The aberrant kept its hungry gaze on Levi's advancing form. _______ charged a small blast, spitting it at the titans face as she dove. Pulling up, the dragon twisted in the air, thrusting out her wings powerfully to slow her down. 

Before the Titan could move again, Levi's blades had sliced through its nape. The raven twisted, redirecting his hooks into the side of a house. The belts around his body tightened as he was thrown forward. He leaned back and planted his feet on the side of the building, hanging back on his gear to observe the surrounding area.

_______ landed on the ground two stories below him. The dragon shook it's hide quickly, blinking a few times. She looked up at Levi's form, twisting her head questioningly. The captain was still, his gaze trained on his blades. The metal swords were steaming with Titan blood, and Levi sneered at the disgusting crimson that foamed at his hands. 

Shaking her head in annoyance, ______ raised her wings and thrust them down. Gliding up to Levi's height, she smacked him upside the head with a wingtip. The short man whipped his head around, glaring threateningly at the animal. She gestured to the sky with her head. Levi nodded and put his blades back in the boxes, putting his hands on the dragons wing for balance as he retracted his hooks from the structure. 

In no time, they were back in the sky. A familiar screech erupted from the ground below. Levi looked down. A woman, maybe 20 years old, if that, was cornered between two buildings as a stocky Titan approached her slowly. Levi pushed on the dragons neck with his hands. _______ understood immediately and curled in the air, diving swiftly. 

Her wingtip grazed the side of a building as she maneuvered over the titans head gracefully. Swooping down to the girl, ______ swept the woman up into her paws. 

"Did you get her?" Levi hollered, bending down to see the dragons undercarriage. His hair followed gravity as he searched the dragons paws. A frightened blonde with green eyes stared back at him, her eyes widening even more when she saw him. 

"Captain Levi...." She whispered, as if she was seeing god. Levi picked himself back up and shook his head when all the blood retreated from his skull. He patted the side of ______s head softly. 

"Let's get her somewhere safe." He ordered, his eyes sweeping the many buildings in front of him.

Looking up to the horizon, Levi felt his gut churn when he saw pitch black clouds quickly closing in. 

"Shit." He mumbled, turning his gaze back to Shiganshinas buildings. A gap in the tall structures ahead gave way to the river that ran through the center of Shiganshina. A large crowd of people gathered around the evacuation boats. Levi watched as desperate families pleaded with the MPs to take their children, and others tried jumping onto the boat from the cobblestone road lining the river. Everyone was shouting and pushing each other like hungry animals.

______ dipped down, taking Levi to the crowd of people. Levi pulled on the dragons neck, kicking his heels. 

"No. Take us over the walls. We'll drop her off at the refugee camps." The captain ordered, tearing his gaze away from the crowd.

Pinning her ears momentarily, ______ obeyed and thrust her wings a few times. Wall Maria got closer by the second, and Levi made sure to clear the wall by a long shot to avoid killing the woman. 

_______ scoped out the refugee camp on the other side. As they neared the ground, Levi made ______ hover and hopped off. Walking under the dragon, he looked up at the girl still clutched in the dragons grip. On his command, ______ dropped the girl, who Levi caught. Placing her gently in the ground, he scowled when he saw the girl was a few inches taller than he was.

She turned around, arms folded protectively. The girl looked as if she wanted to thank him, but was too scared to actually speak. Instead, Levi got a mumble and a shaky nod. ______ landed next to Levi, watching the girl curiously. The captain placed a hand on the girls shoulder in silent reassurance as a few garrison members walked over to take the girl.

They all eyed Levi angrily, glaring at the dragon. ______ raised her head threateningly, staring them down. 

"The Military police will hear about this." One of them mumbled, leading the trembling woman away.

Levi reached up and pushed the dragons face. Snapping at his hand, she turned a hurt gaze to him. 

"Stop making more trouble for the rest of us, brat." He mumbled, hopping back onto her neck. They took off, the dragons black slender figure drifting through the air. They turned back towards Shiganshina when soldiers atop the wall began shouting. Furrowing his brow, Levi kicked his heels to urge ______ on. 

They glided over the walls, stopping abruptly when they came across the scene before them. Levi felt his blood run cold. Heaviness crept into his gut as he studied it.

An extremely large Titan was standing across from the gate separating Shiganshina from wall Maria. It was muscled and broad, standing intimidatingly. It's shoulders heaved as it breathed out, steam expelling from its nose. It's narrow eyes gleamed a bright electric yellow. Hard plates protected most of its body. The plates stood out as a dull yellow against the red muscle underneath.

The Armored Titan. 

Levi felt his stomach plummet to his heels. That day in the forest. Yes, the description matches perfectly. Beneath him, _______ tensed. She remembered as well. Levi bit down a gulp as he urged the dragon forward. Almost too willingly, _______ dove down to the large Titan. Levi watched its eyes focus on the dragon as they appeared at eye level. ______ hovered a few meters in front of its face, her wings beating rhythmically.

Levi glared into the eyes of the giant before him. Heat radiated off of its muscular body, and Levi could feel it from where he hovered before the Titan. Sneering, the captain unsheathed his blades, displaying them at his side.

"Hey," Levi called. "What the fuck do you think you're doing here? How about this, I tear you apart piece by fucking piece in front of all of your little Titan friends." The short man growled, his blades gleaming.

Below him, ______ sucked in a deep breath of air. Her mouth snapped open and out bellowed a bone shattering roar. The Titan responded to this, it's eyes narrowing even more. A large hand raised from its left side, swiping at the dragon. 

_______ dove quickly, leaving Levi struggling to hold on to the dragon and his swords at the same time. The hand missed the dragon, and the armored Titan turned towards the dragon. _______ turned her head back towards the Titan. Roaring again, she twisted around and faced the beast. The armored Titan began to walk towards them, it's giant footsteps creating concussive booms. _______'s narrowed as she raised her wings, shooting into the sky. 

Levi felt completely out of control. He wasn't asking her to do any of this. His blades were pressed flat side down on her neck, and he feared that they might slit the dragons hide if he wasn't careful. The raven held on as ______ made her decisions. He just prayed she was making the right ones. 

______ barrel rolled as she shot straight up. Thrusting her wings out suddenly, she glared down at the armored Titan below. Her pupils turned to angry slits as she charged a blast. A sickly green smoke filled the dragons mouth as she opened it wide. The smoke began to pour out of her mouth like a poisonous gas. 

 

On top of the wall, Erwin stood behind Hanji, looking over her shoulder at a document as she murmured to him, her brows furrowed in thought. A screech began to fill the air, increasing in volume as the seconds progressed. Hanji froze, her hand suddenly tightening around the document. 

Erwin looked back towards Hanji. "What's that noise?" He asked, almost demanding an answer.

Hanji turned fear filled brown eyes towards the horizon. "_______"

 

Levi felt heat boiling underneath him, taking his hands off of the dragons hide and hissing at the heat under his legs. The screech was ear piercing, and Levi brought his hands up to his ears to block it out. ________ released the blast, and Levi felt himself being thrown.

 

A blue flash followed by a concussive explosion drew Erwin's attention from the wall. A wave of wind traveled from the center of the explosion to the walls, knocking Hanji and Erwin off of the stone structure. Hanji yelped as her hands flew to her gear controls. The soldiers hooks slammed into the side of the wall, and the two perched on the side. Erwin made eye contact with Hanji before climbing back up.

Hanji looked down at the titans below, their greedy hands and dopey smiles reaching up at the squad leader. Huffing confidently, she flashed them a smile before following after Erwin.  
Erwin stood on the edge of the wall, his feet sprawled in a battle stance as he looked out towards the explosion. Hanji joined him, gasping softly when she saw the absence of the armored Titan and a giant hole in the ground below _______.

 

Levi's hand flailed for his gear controls as he went airborne. Gathering himself, he shot his hooks into a building as he fell. Falling parallel to he ground, his stomach grazed the cobblestone road before he was hurled back up to the sky. He landed on a rooftop and turned sharply, his eyes searching wildly for ______.

The black dragon was still in the sky, her chest heaving. Below her, amongst the ashes and smoke, a figure began to rise from the ground. Levi felt his stomach drop when he saw that the armored Titan didn't appear injured, simply winded. The Titan turned sharply, ignoring _______ completely. 

It planted a large foot into the ground, stepping out of the hole generated from the explosion. Using that same foot, it bent forward slightly, it's arms curling at its thick sides. The titans foot thrust out suddenly, kicking up bits of stone in its wake.

_______ roared loudly and shot after it, wings thrusting furiously. Almost in slow motion, the Titan plowed forward. It's shoulders dropped as it reached its target: the gate. Steam expelled from its nose as it ran faster, like a horse during battle. It reached the gate and crashed through it.

Debris flew everywhere. Levi dodged a piece of the airborne stone effortlessly. His gaze was trained on the dragon that hovered mere meters from the gaping hole in wall Maria. He watched as the animals wing beats grew slower, until they stopped completely. ________ plummeted from the sky, disappearing behind the rubble covered buildings.

Levi gasped softly, shooting his hooks into the building across from him. He scrambled over rooftops until he got to the scene, looking down at the destruction. Large footprints were carved into the cobblestone. Pieces of the wall were lodged in nearby buildings, crushing them completely in some cases. Dust particles and debris fluttered in the air.

It was completely silent.

The dark clouds had completely covered by now, a few large drops descending from their hearts. Levi searched the ground until he found the familiar black body. ______ lain in the center of one of the footprints, her wings sprawled carelessly on the stone. A few rocks had perched themselves on her body, and grey dust began to settle on her form. 

Levi hopped down to the road, running to the animals side. He slid down the side of the footprint and dropped to his knees by her head. She was breathing steadily, her chest rising and falling as normal. His shoulders sagged when he realized she was okay, until he studied her face.

The animal looked mortified. Her once blood thirsty gaze had turned to a blank, devastated stare. Levi's hand twitched at his side. Reaching out, he placed it gently on her head, rubbing the hide softly. 

"It's my fault. Stop moping, damn it." He mumbled. The pattering of rain grew in volume as the drops began to come more frequently. The water bounced off of his shoulder and her hide, the dust beginning to wash off of her scales. Levi pulled his cravat from his neck, spreading it on his hand and rubbing the dragons eye with it. 

"You're getting dust in your eye." He mumbled, wiping the surrounding area carefully. 

The animal breathed out again, tensing as she began to pick herself up. Levi stood and stepped back as the animal hauled her large body to her paws. Her head hung slightly. Levi walked up to her and placed a reassuring hand on her ear.

Titan footsteps began to rumble on the street. Levi looked up and saw a 8 meter class wobble from out of the buildings and pass Levi, hobbling through the dust riddled hole in wall Maria. It wasn't long before many others in the area did the same. They payed dragon and rider no mind as they walked past, aiming for the bigger prize. 

_______ called out after the titans in an attempt to stop them, her eyes widening in sadness as they filed through the gate. Hanji dropped down to the two, walking over to Levi.

"Eyebrows wants to see you." She informed. "Now." Her tone was one he was familiar with. This was the tone that was taken when a battle was lost. Nodding slightly, Levi pulled on the dragons neck. She didn't budge.

"Let's go, ______." He grumbled, pulling harder. She shoved his body aside with her head, whipping around and leaping into the air. Her wings carried her to the top of wall Maria, where she disappeared over the edge. 

"She just needs some time. I guess she came into this thinking she was going to save humanity." Hanji mumbled, shooting Levi a sympathetic glance. "She feels like she let you down."

"Yeah." The captain sighed. His gear was worn, his blades were long gone, and his gas was pretty much nonexistent. His muscles ached still, and he felt like throwing up his organs. he guessed that the serum was beginning to wear off. To be short, he was in no condition to be fighting. Turning softly, he shot his hooks into a nearby building, making use of the rest of his gas.

Hanji stood in the rain, her clothing soaked and her hair messy. The brunette looked up at the clouds. The rain fell onto her goggles, clouding her vision with drops of water. Sighing, she pulled her 3dmg controls from her sides. 

Today was a shit day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep.  
> Sorry if Levi was OOC, I'm kinda bad at nailing his attitude. In fact, I'm pretty bad at nailing most of their attitudes.  
> Thank you all so much for all the support this series has been receiving! I appreciate all the comments and kudos more than you think. It gives me a giddy feeling everytime I open my email and see a new kudos or a comment on my work! Thank you all so much! 
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know how I'm doing, and how I can do better! Suggestions and criticism are always welcome, don't be shy :)
> 
> (Ps I feel like I use too many commas???? Thoughts????)
> 
> Come follow me on tumblr for SNK, HTTYD, and more!!  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies
> 
> I think that's all for today, again, thank you so much for the support!
> 
> Until next Sunday, folks! Have an awesome week!


	9. Crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was bored and sick so I wrote an extra chapter :3

Levi walked down a long hallway in headquarters. The man was soaked to the bone from the pouring rain. His ebony locks stuck to his forehead and neck. The clothing clung to his form uncomfortably, lukewarm from his body heat. He had a pestering headache that forced him to stop once in a while and close his eyes. His boots rubbed against the back of his calves, causing irritation Levi was sure would need a bandaid soon.

And he still had a meeting to go to.

Even though he tried to walk with confidence in his step, he found himself stumbling every now and then. This wasn't like him, and he knew it in his soul. At least, whatever was left of it.

Reaching the door to the commanders office, he knocked a few times.

"Name and business." The voice called from the other side.

"You know why I'm here." The raven growled, placing a clammy hand on the knob and twisting it.

He walked in and closed the door behind him. He stood quietly, water falling from his hair to the wood floor, creating a dark mark. Erwin watched him from his seated position behind the desk. The blondes eyebrows raised slightly as he studied Levi's condition.

"You look like you had a full day." He mumbled, attempting to make small talk to break the silence.

Levi sneered. "I didn't see you out there once. Where the fuck were you." He spat.

"Taking care of paperwork for the trial." The commander sighed, pushing back his chair and standing.

"And this paperwork was so important that you abandoned your soldiers in a time like this?" Levi snarled, his shoulders tensing.

Erwin simply waited while Levi's brows furrowed after a second.

"What trial?" The ebony asked.

The commander sighed and reached down for a stack of papers on his desk. He walked over and presented the papers to Levi, who snatched them from his grasp. The captains eyes sped over each line as Erwin began to speak.

"They're putting _______ on trial. And us. The MPs requested we be tried on the military court for a number of reasons." He sighed, running his hand over the side of his face.

Levi's grip on the papers tightened a little. "On what grounds?" He demanded. "On what grounds are they trying ______?"

"Arson, desertion-" "she was never a part of the survey corps yet." Levi growled.

"Let me finish, Levi." Erwin ordered. "Kidnapping, And attempted murder." Levi's body shook slightly.

"Attempted. Murder?" He growled, dropping his shoulders slightly. "When. Did she ever. Attempt. To kill somebody."

"Remember the day she escaped?" The commander began. "Garrison members atop the wall claim they saw ______ trying to set you on fire."

Levi turned this over in his head.

 

_Levi's form darted across the rooftops, blades sparkling in each hand. Above him, the dragon glided towards the wall. Her black body stood out like a shadow against the clear blue sky. Turning his gaze back to the road ahead, Levi shot his hooks into a building. The belts around his body tightened as he leapt forward, gliding on his gear._

_His feet planted on another building, and he wasted no time in darting forward. His feet smacked the tiles on the slanted roof. His mouth hung open slightly as he panted. Looking up, his heart sped up as he watched the dragon tuck its wings._

_The black shadow shot to eye level, a horrible screeching filling the air. His silver eyes widened as the dragon leveled out her body with the roof, speeding towards him. The two made direct eye contact as the animal opened her mouth. A green smoke poured from her jaws. Levi dived to the side in time for a blue flash to light up his previous path._

_An explosion gave him extra air time while he slammed the hooks of his gear into a nearby building. Levi reached his destination and whipped around in time to see a black mass climb the air next to the wall._

The captains eyes searched the ground as his memory faded. "Shit." He mumbled, standing up straight.

"What about us? What are we tried for?" He growled. The ravens face was twisted in rage, the water on his body seeming to evaporate.

"Treason and unauthorized possession of dangerous wildlife." Erwin sighed. "They're just looking for reasons to dismantle the survey corps."

"When's the session?" Levi asked, a strange calmness reaching his voice.

"5 days. We have until then to come up with a legitimate argument for our case." The commander stated, taking the documents from Levi's hand carefully. The raven gave them up without fuss, and Erwin placed them back on his desk.

"Where is she?" The blonde questioned curiously.

"I don't know." Levi grumbled. "I'm going to bed." The captain turned and walked to the door, pushing it open.

"Levi." Erwin called. The raven stopped in the doorway, silently waiting.

"She'll come back." The commander assured.

Levi simply walked through the door, slamming it behind him.

Erwin sighed heavily, making his way back to his desk chair. Sitting gently, he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk, resting his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Just a small filler. I felt like I owed you guys for not having an update a few weeks ago while I was on vacation. Are you feeling the suspense, mr.krabs?  
> What fate awaits Levi and his trusted companion?  
> Find out next Sunday!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated, so show some love! Criticism and suggestions are always welcome! 
> 
> Alsooooo, this fic is kinda lacking some art. I'm not a very artistic person, not very good with a pen or pencil, so if anyone's got free time and you're feeling inspired, go ahead and draw something up! I'll feature it in the following chapter for all to see, or if you like it can be private.
> 
> Bored? Drop by my tumblr!  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies  
> My ask box is always open, feel free to ask or submit anything you like :)
> 
> That's all for today, thanks for reading! Until next Sunday, have an awesome week y'all!


	10. Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you fucking ready.
> 
> Because this chapter is a doozy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, lovies, Comment allez vous? 
> 
> Ok ok ok I know chapter is a little late. I had a busy weekend and no inspiration to write in any free time I had. Sooooo, I wrote this from 11-3 am on a school night WITH a big test in the morning all for you guys.
> 
> You're all fucking special to me.
> 
> This chapter brought to you by Hiccup Confront Drago by John Powell and Mutiny from one of the POTC soundtracks.
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me how I'm doing and how I can do better! Feel free to leave suggestions and criticism, they are always welcome.
> 
> Come visit me on tumblr!  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies  
> My ask box is always open
> 
> Enjoy kids, until next week!

It poured for two days after that. The rain seemed never ending. Training was cancelled until further notice. Erwin locked himself in his office, filing paperwork. Often, he forgot to come out to eat, causing a mildly concerned Hanji to bring the man a meal three times a day. Nanaba sat with him in his office, sorting documents he had already looked over and gathering papers to be sent out in the mail later.

Levi paced in his office like a stall confined racehorse. He hated being kept inside like this, oblivious to what was going on outside. Rain pelted his window, lighting flashing every few minutes. A knock on the door stopped Levi in his tracks.

"Name and business." He called, an annoyed tinge in his tone.

"It's Hanji! Lemme in!" The voice called.

Before Levi could deny her request, she had pushed the door open, stepping in. She closed the door behind her and smiled at Levi, who looked the brunette up and down. She was somewhat wet, her clothing tinged with the dampness of rain. Her hair was a mess, it's usual ponytail starting to fail and sag down the back of her neck. Her glasses, thank Sina, were on correctly, but a red tint dabbed her cheeks.

"You look like shit." Levi mumbled. Hanji chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.

"I've been running errands for eyebrows the whole day. Running outside to check on the horses, carrying papers to and from Mike and Erwin's office, the works."

Levi cocked an eyebrow at her, walking over to his desk and sitting in the chair.

"Why didn't he have a cadet do it?" The raven questioned.

Hanji shrugged. "I don't know."

"What about YOUR paperwork? I assume you just left it all on the fucking floor to do later?" Levi asked, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"Hah! Nah, Moblits getting on that as we speak."

Levi sighed. Everytime Hanji had something important to do, she always had Moblit "help". "Help" usually meant she just passed it onto the poor guy.

Levi cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "So what did you want?" He turned towards the window and stared out.

"Nothing, I just came to see how you were holdin up." She admitted, sighing a little.

"I'm fine." The captain grumbled.

"You're not." She disagreed.

"How the hell do you know how I'm feeling?" Levi growled.

"I've known you for a while, Levi. I can tell when you're hurt or sad."

"You don't know shit about me. Get out of my office." Levi's tone deepened.

"She'll come back, lev-"

"I'm not a fucking child." He cut her off, whipping his head around and sending the brunette a threatening glare. Hanji winced slightly, but stood her ground. Levi's gaze barely softened as he turned back towards the window.

Hanji felt she had overstayed her welcome. But with Levi, your welcome was always short anyway.

The brunette turned and strode up to the door. She laid a hand on the door knob and turned back towards the captain. He looked over at her in time to see her crack a sympathetic smile.

"She's too attached to you to leave." Hanji kept his gaze for a second before opening the door and stepping out.

The door closed with a soft click. Levi's gaze was still trained on where the woman's butterscotch eyes stared at him seconds before. Blinking, he turned his head away from the door and pushed himself up from his chair.

Approaching the window somewhat cautiously, he waited for lighting. It fascinated him, to say the least. He loved watching it, hearing the thunder, seeing the jagged cracks in the sky.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground somewhere in the distance, followed by a roaring wave of thunder. Levi calmly watched, his hands clasped behind his back. He stood there for Sina knows how long. He lost track of time a long while ago. A while passed without any lighting, and Levi was close to giving up his watch.

To his surprise, another flash soon erupted in the distance. Levi furrowed his brow, staring.  
This flash didn't come from the sky.

It came from the other side of the wall.

His undivided attention was now payed to this specific spot. Minutes went by. Levi's shoulders grew heavier with each second. Suddenly, the flash from the wall appeared once more, accompanied by a short screech. A black form climbed the air, a blue haze beginning at its tip. It hovered for brief seconds, the light growing to a radiant cobalt.

The light suddenly shot from the dark shadow, hitting its target with an enormous explosion. Fire began to spread violently in the distance. The shadow lurched, as if it were suddenly struck, and fell from the sky. A loud roar increased in volume quickly, traveling to the castle. A few windows upstairs shattered, and Levi gasped softly, his hand pressing against the glass.

"________."

\-------------------

Levi sprinted down the hall, his gear bouncing uncomfortably at his sides. A cadet strolled down the hallway, her gaze trained on her boots as she walked. The quickly approaching footsteps alerted the girl, and she looked up, her eyes widening. Levi barely payed her a glance as he kept on. She stood at attention, concern crossing her eyes.

"Cap-"

"VERPISS DICH, KIND!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Levi reached the nearest exit of the castle; the front doors. He grabbed the metal handles and flung them open, not bothering to close them as he sprinted out into the rain. The wind whipped violently, tossing his body with string gusts. The cold water had already begun to seep into his clothes when he activated his gear, the hooks slamming into the top of a nearby tree. He let out a soft grunt as he was thrown forward.

Levi angled his body to be thrown out of the tree tops. Retracting his hooks, he hovered in mid air for brief seconds. His icy sharp gaze searched the horizon wildly. As he began to fall back to the ground, another flash erupted. This one was a little farther away. Levi's eyes widened, activating his gear once more.

He crashed through the tree tops, his hooks digging into the soaked bark of a thick tree. He bobbed and weaved his way through the thick forest. A bolt of lighting cracked above him, the thunder following close behind. Barely seconds afterwords, a large flash of light appeared right in front of Levi. Lighting struck the top of a tree only meters away, following the bark down to the forest floor.

Returning his hooks to his gear, Levi was at the mercy of inertia and fate as he squeezed his eyes shut. The ear splitting crash of the lighting all but punched Levi in the face. His head spun wildly, and a loud ringing filled his ears. The captains body slammed into the ground, skidding a good distance in the mud. One of the boxes at his side was ripped off of his hip, bumping into his right leg as it departed.

Levi felt the mud build in his ears and nose, he felt it cover his face and eyes and threaten to drown him in the disgusting concoction of water and dirt. The base of a tree caught his muddy form, and he let out a soft grunt of pain as his back slammed into the bark. The faint feeling of heat forced Levi to scramble to his feet. Rubbing his eyes furiously, he cleared the mud from his skin and looked around. A fire began traveling between the branches of the neighboring trees to the one that was struck.

The fire lipped at the ground, threatening to spread if it had dry land to latch onto. Levi cringed as another bolt of lighting crashed in the distance. Stepping backwards, the raven frantically unbuckled the second box at his hip and let it drop. He ripped the hand held controls from their holsters and threw them down, the wires following soon afterwords.

His clothing clung to his body, caked with mud and water and Sina knows what else. Blood dribbled from a wound on his chin, and his ears were deaf to anything but a bloodcurdling ring. The ebony locks of his once neatly kept hair were now muddy, clinging to his soaked head. A few strands hung down between his eyes.

Another flash of lighting told Levi his time was up. Grimacing at the sky momentarily, he turned on the spot and ran, his arms swinging in a controlled dramatic pace, keeping up with his frantic stride. He leapt over a fallen tree and landed on the other side, mud splattering up on impact. His boots dug into the ground as he took off again. The end of the forest came into view, and Levi watched the end like a hawk.

He shot out of the forest, planting his feet firmly into the ground and skidding. His arms flew out to keep his balance as he searched the area. The fire in the distance seemed to calm down a little, but Levi knew better than to judge by appearance. Eyeing the sky, his pupils contracted to tiny black dots at the sight of dark grey clouds beginning to swirl above his head.

Tearing his gaze away, he ran harder, his feet kicking up mud and water in his wake. The rain pelted down now, harder than before. The water came in thick sheets, as if it were being dumped onto the earth. In the distance, another blue flash erupted from the ground, this time towards the sky. Levi watched the blue fireball disappear into the clouds.

It exploded behind the clouds, causing the airy masses to expand and dissipate dramatically. To Levi's dismay, there was no sun behind the clouds, just more dark clouds. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and Levi felt his blood run cold.

He knew exactly what this meant.

Panic striking his gut, the raven forced his screaming legs to work harder as he sped up. A jolt of lightning struck his carved path only 30 feet back. His hands jumped to cover his ears as he fell again, curling into a ball on the ground and squeezing his eyes shut. A crack followed quickly by thunder rumbled his bones, and Levi felt his heart stop for brief seconds before picking up its previous frantic pace.

The wind began picking up once more, and Levi opened his eyes only to have them drowned by rain. Through the muddy chaos, he managed to see a spiral of clouds beginning to descend quickly from the dark mass in the sky. The wind acted like a suction cup, starting to drag his body back.

The captain growled furiously and slapped his hands to the ground, sinking his fingers into the mud like claws. Crawling forward, he pushed himself using his knees and upper body strength. However, he didn't have much of that left.

In the distance, a loud roar chilled Levi's heart. The desperate call only meant one thing;  
Distress.

Levi opened his mouth to call back, but his voice was drowned out by whipping wind and pelting rain. He had never been more terrified in his life than he was right now. He was left completely to his own devices. His gear long gone, his strength depleting fast, and help was long ways away.

The ravens face fell, his mouth parted in desperate gasps for air. His body weakened and started to go limp. His hair whipped in the wind, and he turned around to see that the funnel of clouds had almost touched the ground. Watching it for a second, he brought everything In his mind to a screeching halt.

Levi's brow furrowed angrily, his rage fueling his muscles to tighten once more. He called out furiously in a battle cry against the odds. He hauled himself to his feet, fighting the wind and rain as they attacked his body mercilessly. He dug his feet into the ground as he took off towards the small forest bordering a nearby village.

He burst through a complex of wooden houses, turning sharply and flying down the cobblestone street. Desperate whinnies of terrified horses came from a small barn nearby. Levi screeched to a halt, scoping out the barn and sprinting towards it. He had a plan.

He flung the barn doors open and ran inside. He looked down both sides of the barn and panted heavily. Grabbing a halter from a rack, he ran to the left side of the barn and began unlocking stalls, wrenching the doors open to let the horse out. He did this one by one until 4 of the 5 horses had fled the barn. He came to the last one and grabbed the horses head, putting the halter on it hurriedly.

He pushed the stall door open and climbed onto the horse, kicking his heels into its chestnut sides. The horse sprang from its stall, galloping out of the barn and into the street. Levi bent over the horses neck as the animal tore through the village, tail high and head lowered.  
Another screech followed by a blue flash appeared over top of the wall.

The gate to Trost district appeared in sight, and Levi pulled the horses head towards it. They reached the gate and Levi leaned back on the horse. The animal skidded to a halt, and Levi hopped off. Smacking its rump with his hand, Levi sent the poor animal flying off.

He whipped around and flung open the human sized door to the inside of the wall adjacent to the large one. He stepped inside, dripping and muddy, to find garrison soldiers checking on supplies on the inside. They stopped and turned towards Levi. One girl screeched at his appearance, others backed away slowly.

Levi approached a small girl, no taller than him. She backed away as he briskly started in her direction. Eventually, she had pressed herself against the wall, shivering as Levi craned over her threateningly. He stared down at her with a hardened glare.

"By order of Captain Levi of the Survey Corps, I'm going to need you to hand over your maneuver gear." He growled, panting heavily. The girl nodded shakily, her hands fumbling with the belts across her hips.

Within minutes, Levi had ditched his old belts on the floor and adjusted the new gear to his fit. The girl he had taken the belts from sat against the wall, her hands shaking. Levi adjusted the final belt, and looked towards her. Pointing directly at her, he called to her.

"Oi. Brat. What's your name?" He asked.

The girl spoke up despite her shaken appearance. "M-Marie Fallensport S-Sir!"

Levi nodded slowly, his hand falling back to his side.

"I'll remember that." He called back to her. The girl nodded slowly in conformation. He turned and grasped the holders at his sides. Sprinting towards the door, he turned the knob and was almost thrown back by the wind. He pushed against it and struggled to close the door behind him.

The hooks of his gear slammed into the side of the wall. The belts tightened around his form as he shoots up. He planted his feet on the side of the wall, running up a few steps before shooting his hooks farther up.

He reached the top and hauled himself onto the top of the stone structure. Levi looked back and felt his hands turn to jelly. A large, swirling funnel of clouds dragged across the plain he almost died in only minutes before.

Growling to himself, he pushes his body to his feet and runs forward. He stopped at the edge of the wall and looked down.

_______ was nowhere to be found.

The captains mouth was parted slightly, his chest heaving as he panted. He waited a minute, keeping silent and still as he searched for her.

Suddenly, a blue flash followed by an explosion emitted down below. Levi's gaze shot to the sight of the explosion as he frantically searched for the dragon. Below him, titans were falling left and right at _______s will. An aberrant ran towards a specific building, but was eventually shot down by a plasma blast.

Levi searched the buildings roof. A wave of relief passed over him when he saw _______ crouched on the building, roaring and snarling furiously at anything that came near her.  
The captain drew blades from his gear and readjusted his hand on the handles.

"Let's fucking do this." He mumbled, taking a step forward and leaping off of the wall. He allowed himself to free fall for a few seconds before he shot two hooks into a building below. The belts tightened around his skin as he was thrust forward. Gracefully, he front flipped and regained his balance, suddenly changing direction.

He scoped out the roof that ________ was on and turned in that direction. As he got closer, though, he noticed something was wrong. Bringing himself to a halt, he stopped on a neighboring roof and shielded himself from the rain under a chimney. The rain was beginning to die down, and the wind was not as bad here as it was on the other side.

________ looked completely different.

She was still black, and she was still a dragon, but everything else changed. An orange hue tinted her black scales on her forehead, and her eyes glowed a dangerous bright cobalt. Any water that touched her hide immediately evaporated, causing her to be constantly enveloped in a cloud of steam. Her wings were held up and slightly out in a threatening pose. The veins in her wings glowed a brilliant bright orange.

Mustering the courage, Levi shot his hooks into the side of the building she stoop atop. Flinging himself up, he landed on the roof with a slight thud. _______ was breathing hard. Her jaws were parted to inhale and exhale dramatically, her whole body rising and falling to each breath.

"Hey, _______." Levi called.

The dragon seemed unaffected by this, and continued to stare out towards the nearest Titan in front of her. Levi took a cautious step forward, his blades held carefully in each hand.

"_______?" He called. The dragons ear flicked once, barely acknowledging his presence.  
Slowly, the dragons head turned towards Levi. Her pupils were contracted to thin black slits outlined dramatically by the iris. Levi's brow furrowed as the animal stared blankly at him.

"_______ . . ." He mumbled, his grip tightening on his blades.

The dragon began to slowly turn towards him. Levi backed up a step, before retaking it and straightening up.

"Oi, what are you doing out here anyway?" He demanded.

_______ had turned towards him fully by now. Lifting a front paw, she took a small step towards him. Though her body language screamed anger, her eyes were emotionless and dead. 

"What are you gaining by being out here?"

Nothing. She took a few more steps towards him, and Levi stepped back once. The raven looked over his shoulder at the small amount of roof he had remaining. He turned back to see that ______ had advanced quite a bit. Levi hopped backwards off of the building and landed on the cobblestone path.

________ immediately dropped after him, leaping off of the house and heavily landing on the ground. Levi narrowed his eyes as she began to advance again. He backed up a step, returning his blades back to their holsters.

"Hey, it's me. Remember?" He asked softly.

________ unsheathed her claws. The pointed ends dug into the stone, threatening to crack the hard material. She walked faster now. The corners of her mouth were pulled up in the beginning of a snarl. Levi took one step back with every step forward she took.

"________" Levi warned. She made no moves to stop.

"________!!" He yelled.

The dragons wings were held out like barricades as she steadily walked towards him. Levi felt something hard hit the back of his boot, and he fell onto the ground. _______ looked down at him and continued to advance. Levi growled up at her, tensing his body as he pushed himself backwards.

Her mouth parted a little more, and green smoke began to pour from her jaws. Levi's eyes widened as he saw a blue haze behind the smoke begin to light up the dragons throat. In a sudden burst of speed, _______ leapt forward. She slammed a front paw onto his chest, her claws digging painfully into his skin.

His hands reached up and grabbed at her paw. Any attempt he made to speak was drowned by fear as she held him down. Levi stared directly up at her as she began to raise up, all the while keeping a firm grip on his chest.

By now, her jaws were filled with the blinding blue light. Levi writhed in a last attempt of freedom as he heard a screech begin to creep up from her throat.

"LEVI!" Erwin's voice boomed from the top of the wall.

Levi looked up in time to see him and multiple others plummet from the sky on their gear.

Hanji watched, frozen, from atop the wall as _______ pinned Levi down by his chest. Erwin and Mike made their frantic way to the dragon as Levi writhed under her grasp. _______ reared up, green smoke pouring from her jaws. A bloodcurdling screech filled the air.

 

Hanji covered her face with her hands as an explosion erupted from below.


	11. Falling Under

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Another chapter on Sunday as planned. Enjoy :)

Erwin was thrown backward by the force of the explosion. His body hit the cobblestone, and he grunted in pain upon impact. He skidded for a few seconds, coming to rest finally a few meters away. Climbing to his feet, he panted slightly as he looked around. Dust and debris fluttered in the air, quickly being swept away by the rain. 

"Not again." Erwin mumbled, gritting his teeth and running forward into the debris field. Almost immediately, he screeched to a halt, gasping at the scene before him. A large jagged crater, at least a good 10 feet deep, replaced where _______ and Levi had been only seconds before. Pieces of cobblestone road stuck out of the surrounding area. Rocks and debris littered the craters interior.

In he middle of the crater, _______ stood. The dragons body heaved with every breath, her jaws hanging limply open to allow more air. She was hunched over, as if she had been struck in the gut. From where the commander stood he could hear the low, guttural growl following each exhale. There was a dragon. And there was debris. 

But there was no Levi.

Erwin felt his shoulders sag slightly. Shaking his head, he straightened them out and drew his blades. He turned his head around to search the surrounding area.

"LEVI!" He called. "MIKE!" 

No answer.

Taking a breath, he called again. 

"MIKE!" He shouted. A cough.

Erwin gasped slightly, listening. Another cough, from the right. Turning immediately, the commander ran to the sound. A third cough, this time accompanied by a distinct "ow, shit."

The commander searched for barely a minute before spotting a figure leaning up against a chimney on the roof of a building a block away. Erwin activated his gear, his hooks shooting out and into the side of the building. As soon as his boots touched the roof, he ran to the figure. Mike was leaned against the chimney, clutching his side and nursing a bloody hand. 

Erwin chuckled as Mike raised his non injured hand in a calm greeting. The taller man smiled softly, grimacing when another wave of pain struck his abdomen. 

"What's the problem?" Erwin asked, gesturing to his clutched stomach.

"A sharp rock hit me in the stomach. Didn't lodge itself in there, but created a pretty nasty gouge that's gunna need some stitches." Mike explained. Erwin nodded softly. Mike looked up at the commander and stared at him, waiting for the question he knew was coming.

Erwin sighed. "Levi?" He mumbled.

Mike lowered his eyes to the roof. Erwin breathed in shakily, bringing his hand up to his face and rubbing his tired skin. The squad leader grunted, attracting Erwin's attention. He watched as Mike pushed himself to his feet, bending over slightly and wincing. He raised his bloody hand and pointed to a house adjacent to the one they were standing on. 

Erwin followed his finger, looking back to Mike briefly and taking off in that direction. He shot the hooks of his gear into the roof, gliding onto it gracefully. He touched down and looked around wildly. Nothing. He stepped forward a few times, listening. 

Breathing. He heard breathing. The blonde jogged to the chimney and held his breath, peering behind it. 

Levi lain splayed out and parallel to the roof. He was covered in blood and dust, and his leg was bent awkwardly. His arm was bleeding terribly and a small trickle of blood poured from his arm and down the clay shingles. His black hair was matted with blood, dirt, and rubble from a hidden head injury. But he was breathing

He was alive.

Erwin let go of the breath he held, a smile gracing his aged skin. The sound of gear behind him made him turn around. Hanji hauled her body onto the roof, rushing to his side.  
One glance at Levi's body made the brunets honeycomb eyes well up with tears. Covering her mouth with her hand, she choked back a sob of relief as she leaned on Erwin's shoulder. 

The commander wrapped his arms around his friend, smiling against the top of her head.

Humanities strongest would live another day.

The faint sound of flapping wings caught both of their ears. Erwin and Hanji broke apart slowly. They each drew their blades as a black shadow leapt onto the rooftop. They found themselves staring into the tired gaze of _______. Her cobalt gaze no longer held the dead stare, but instead was replaced with a weariness Erwin had often seen after a long expedition. 

The animal cowered slightly, her ears pinned in fear. Hanji started in her direction, but Erwin grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. Covering her mouth as it opened to protest, he held the brunette still while he studied ________. Hanji breathed shakily against his hand, and Erwin could practically feel her muscles tense as she stared at ________. 

The dragon crept across the roof, eyeing the two soldiers constantly. Stopping a few feet away from the two, she dipped her head respectively to them. Hanji tensed and struggled against the commander, her eyes staring daggers at the dragon.The dragons eyes widened sadly, hurt crossing her black expression. 

She continued to walk slowly to the rooftop, peering over the side of the chimney. Cringing, a small whine left her throat as she studied the small mans bloodied body. She walked to him, sniffing his head, her hot breath moving his hair. Hanji was shaking. 

The dragon backed away quickly, as if Levi's body was hurting her. A heart shattering moan left her mouth. Erwin let go of Hanji, who stood completely still as the blonde moved around her. He approached _______, who's gaze was still trained on Levi's body. He reached out a hand to touch her hide. No sooner had his finger touched her scales had she flinched away, cowering.

Whining softly, she turned sharply. Her claws scraped the roof as she backed away and spread her wings. The dragon took to the air with an ear splitting wail. Erwin watched as the dragon climbed higher into the air and disappeared behind the clouds. 

Sighing heavily, Erwin turned around to Hanji. Tears streamed from the squad leaders eyes, her gaze trained on the sky above. He walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

"Let's get him to the infirmary."

 

\-------------

 

A woman adjusted her posh hat and cleared her throat. A man sat across from her, dressed in a smart suit and silken tie. The cafe was quiet, for the exception of the couple and a few others. Wall Sina was never very busy. 

The woman brushed a blonde lock behind her ear. She turned her brown eyes up to her husband.

"I heard there was a tornado in wall rose yesterday." She mumbled.

The man scanned the menu in front of him, letting out a soft grunt.

"It killed 17 people." The woman sighed, turning her attention back to her menu.

The man huffed, the corner of his mouth coming up in a half smile.

"Less mouths to feed." 

 

"Did you hear about the explosion outside of trost? ?"

A small girl ran by the two women. Her twin brother in handmade pants followed close behind, giggling uncontrollably. The other woman furrowed her brows.

"No, I never heard about it. What happened?" The brunette mumbled worriedly.

Her friends blue eyes widened slightly. "I'm surprised you didn't hear about it, everyone's been talking! They say that a secret government project that was created to fight titans malfunctioned and escaped the survey corps headquarters. Apparently it made it all the way to an area just outside of Trost district and just spontaneously combusted in the middle of the street!"

 

"I saw it mom, I swear!"

"Don't swear, Finnian. It's a sin." The mother frowned down at her 10 year old boy. An MP bustled past their tent, one of many in the refugee camp.

"But mom I really did see it! It was huge, and it had wings! It was fighting the titans mom, I know it!" The boy yelled at his mother, tugging on her cloak sleeve furiously.

The mother ripped her arm away from the boy and swung it back to grip his wrist. She looked into his brown eyes and growled.

"That's enough, Finnian!" She scolded. 

"Yes mom." The boy admitted defeat. His mother ran her fingers through his choppy brown hair and pulled him close. 

 

\----------------

 

Boot steps echoed in the short hallway. The smell of disinfectant and a faint tinge of stale blood hung in the air. Somewhere in one of the few adjacent rooms, a man coughed heavily.  
The boots came to rest in front of a particular door on the left. Room 13, to be exact. A war calloused hand reached out and came to rest on the handle.

"Good morning, commander." A soft voice greeted from the right. 

The hand stiffened momentarily. Erwin looked over at the nurse, mild surprise crossing his expression.

"Good morning, Dr.Fitz." He nodded, sliding his hand off of the door handle.

"I assume you have come to see the captain?" She guessed, smiling softly. 

Erwin nodded. "A nurse down the hall told me what room he was in."

Fitz nodded softly. "Were you ever told of his condition?" The blonde shook his head slightly, brows furrowing in alarm.

"Why, how bad is it?" 

The nurse sighed, addressing the small bundle of papers she had been carrying. She sorted through them for a second before pulling out a few and handing them to the commander. He took them carefully and read them over while she spoke.

"He has a major concussion, and some minor damage to his ear drums but his ears will heal themselves overtime. His right leg was broken in three places below the knee, one break on the fibula and two on the tibia. Thankfully there was no damage to the femur. Minor bruising to the ulna on his left arm, and there might have been internal bleeding, but we can't be sure." The nurse listed off, taking the papers from the commander when he finished. "He was never supposed to be out of bed in the first place. I should have kept him in the infirmary. Should have never touched that serum." She hissed. 

The commander sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. 

"How soon will he recover?" He questioned, looking up at Fitz.

The nurse smiled sadly. "Well, that's up to him, sir. We can't really decide how fast the human body can take care if itself."

"He will live, though?" 

The nurse was silent. Erwin stood up a little straighter, his brows furrowing even deeper. The nurse avoided his gaze for brief seconds.

"There is an 80% chance that he will live through this. I cannot say for sure wether he will live or die. This is because of the concussion and the possibility of internal bleeding, as well as one other factor. The only thing we can do is stand by and do what we can to help." She explained.

"One other factor?" He mumbled.

"Yes sir. Uh, you see . . ." She began.

Clearing her throat, Erwin waited as she prepared herself to spit it out.

"He's in a coma." 

 

"In a coma?" Hanji repeated, her eyes widening.

"Yes." The blonde confirmed. The dim light of a few lit torches flickered in the dinner hall. The cadets had long gone to bed, leaving the commander, Hanji, and Moblit alone. Since the incident two days ago, not much else had happened. 

"How long will he be under?" Hanji mumbled.

"What about Mike?" Moblit asked.

"I didn't get the chance to check on him."

Moblit nodded softly, turning his gaze to his hands.

Mike had been kept in the infirmary as well since then. Erwin haven't heard of his condition, and was starting to get a little worried himself. 

The blonde curled his hands together in front of him on the dining table.

"The trial is off for now. They have it on hold while she's gone." He explained.

Hanji furrowed her brows slightly. "So they're assuming she's going to come back on her own?"

"That's the catch," the commander sighed. "The MPs as well as more than half of the military court want us to prepare an emergency search and recover expedition."

Hanjis face twisted in disbelief. The brunette stood up and slammed her fists on the table.

"They have no idea what they're telling us to go do, don't they?! They don't realize how long this will take to prepare, all the supplies that need to be ordered, all the training our men need to fight an animal they've never encountered! I bet they're not even factoring that this animal isn't a fucking squirrel, it's a dragon! You can't just go out and catch it, there's planning involved! There's strategy, ther-"

"Enough, Hanji. I'm aware." Erwin ordered, looking up at the woman. "I have a meeting with Zackley and a few other members of the military court tomorrow. I'm going to bring up our current position to them and explain how big of a task they're actually asking from us."

Moblit pulled Hanji back down to the bench, who slumped down in her seat. 

"In the meantime, get some rest. I'm sure we can make a better argument when we're fully awake." Erwin advised, pushing himself up from the bench. Nodding to the two in front of him, he turned and started for his quarters.

Hanji folded her arms on the table and buried her head into them. 

"What did we get ourselves into, Moblit?" She mumbled. Her squad mate placed a reassuring hand on her back and shook his head slightly.

"I don't know, squad leader."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I doing?  
> Idk lately I've just been like  
> "Wow my writing kinda sucks compared to this guy" and I've been loosing confidence in my own work. Lemme know how it's been doing for you guys.
> 
> Criticism and suggestions are always welcome, feel free to comment! Please let me know how I'm doing so far and how I can do better!
> 
> Come follow me on tumblr for more HTTYD, SNK and more!  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies
> 
> Thats all for this week! Thanks so much for all of the support this fic has been getting, it really means a lot to me! I'm happy that you guys enjoy it :D
> 
> Until next Sunday, have an awesome week guys!


	12. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin gets a letter from the head nurse, forcing him to make a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry folks. This chapter is a little short because I had a lot to do this week and not enough time to do it all. Enjoy!

The carriage rattled slightly as they traveled over a rough patch in the road. Nanaba placed her hand on the seat, steadying herself. Erwin looked out the small box window absentmindedly. The commander had asked her to come along in place of Levi. The woman was not quite sure as to why the captain usually accompanied him on these meetings, but did not question her orders and happily obliged to his request.

As soon as they got in the carriage in Rose, Erwin explained to her that the captains job in these meetings were to observe and gather as much as possible, and was allowed to share his opinion whenever requested. He told her that her opinion was just as important as his was, and to feel free to share it whenever she deemed appropriate. The captain also served as a second source aside from the commander, and was often confronted over the same issues the commander was. He advised her to come prepared to answer questions and back up the facts.

After this explanation, though, the carriage fell silent. It was a long way from HQ in Wall Rose to the meeting in Wall Sina, and so far, the commander had been quiet for a good 2 hours.

It wasn't that she was uncomfortable around the commander, she just had nothing to say. She was normally quiet unless she was directly called upon, and had no problem with staying quiet. Captain Levi had confronted her about it one day, saying that she was  
"more tolerable" than the rest of the "shitty brats" that never shut up. Stumped, she had mumbled her thanks and before she could blink he was gone.

The woman flicked her gaze uncomfortably from the window to the commander. Bringing her hand up to her mouth, she cleared her throat exaggeratedly. The blonde blinked a few times, his eyes widening slightly and furrowing as if he had just been broken from thought. He blinked rapidly for a second before turning his gaze to the woman in front of him and raising his eyebrows expectantly. Nanaba breathed in slightly.

"Do you have everything you need for this meeting, sir?" She asked quietly. It was unnecessary to speak in a loud tone in such a small and enclosed area.

The man nodded softly, and silence fell between them once more. Erwin sighed, and Nanaba squirmed in her seat a little. Suddenly, the commander hummed and pulled a letter from his breast pocket.

"I received this from the head nurse this morning. I have yet to read it." He mumbled. 

 

Commander Erwin Smith,

 

To start it off, you should be pleased to know that Mike is recovering well. His injuries are responding well to the treatments, and his overall health improves daily. He should be transferred to physical therapy sometimes in the near future, and will be fit to return to duty in the next month or so.

I have written, however, to tell you about Captain Levi. His health has not improved since being transferred to my care. To be specific, his overall condition has actually worsened slightly. None of his injuries are responding to treatment, and his body does not seem to be healing itself properly this far into the stages of recovery. 

Captain Levis return to the battlefield is unlikely to happen in the near future, if ever again. Even long after recovery, it's a posibility he will have physical and mental complications. His body has taken a lot over the past few weeks. It appears that this incident simply tipped the whole scale and forced his body into a dormant stage. 

Although it it is not my power to do so, I would highly suggest that you pick a temporary captain, but also be ready to pick a soldier for the permanent position. 

 

Sincerest Regards, 

Head Nurse Helena Fitz. 

 

Nanaba sat back in the seat, her head resting against the rattling carriage wall. The commander refolded the letter slowly and neatly, placing it into his breast pocket.

"'We suggest considering a temporary replacement, if not permanent?' We can't simply replace a captain so easily. Wha, to hell with that, we can't replace captain Levi! It's not something you just decide out of the blue! Yo-"

"Would you do it?" Erwin interrupted.

The woman's brow furrowed slightly, her eyes snapping to the commanders. He stared at her as he waited for an answer. His expression was calm, a slight smile tipping his lips. But his eyes said something else.

"Just temporarily. Until we have a clear path on how well this will go." He explained.

The woman stared at her commander, bewildered, as she quickly sat up straight.

"Sir, I . . . really?" She stuttered.

He nodded softly. "I trust you with this position. And Mike isn't here to step up."

Nanaba thought for a second, before turning back to Erwin. She sat up straighter and looked the blonde straight in the eyes confidently.

"I would be honored to take the position of captain Levi temporarily, sir." She accepted, standing to salute her commander properly.

The proud moment was held for only brief seconds before the carriage violently jostled suddenly, sending the poor woman falling forwards. Erwin caught her by the underside of her arm and hoisted her up to her feet. Nanabas cheeks dusted a light shade of red from embarrassment as she mumbled her thanks and took her previous seat across from the man.

Only 5 more hours until this trip was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Again, sorry it was so short. Next weeks chapter should be a little longer. 
> 
> AND HEY WOULD YA LOOK AT THAT  
> ITS OCTOBER! It's starting to get cold, and the leaves are a'changin.  
> Mini fic time ~~~~~~ leave some prompts for a Halloween fic in the comments and I'll get to it! I'm excited to see what I'm gunna get.
> 
> Come visit me on tumblr!  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies  
> You can also leave prompts in my ask box if you don't want to leave them here. My box is always open!
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know how I'm doing and how I can do better. Feedback is always appreciated and taken into account, so don't be shy!
> 
> I really appreciate all the love and support this fic continues to receive. It gives me a huge boost of confidence to see you all enjoy it! I guess that's all for now have a safe and fun week guys! Until next Sunday, stay warm out there!


	13. Patience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO.  
> Another chapter, hot and ready!  
> Ok so I just realized the other day that this story is slower than molasses. And for this I'm sorry. I was writing the other day and I was like  
> "oh my god, it's taken me like 4 chapters to explain what happens in ONE DAY. WHAT IS THIS."  
> I'm sorry about this. I'm just a very detail focused person. I hate hate HATE when I go to read a fic and the story progresses so fast that everything seems monotone and you don't even know what the room this is all taking place in looks like.  
> If this bothers you, let me know. I'll do something to change it, hell I'll even find a beta reader if it gets on my nerves that much.  
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

The carriage came to a halt on the gravel path. A horse on the duo team opened its mouth and balked against the strain of the metal bit between its teeth. An MP strode up to the carriage door, briefly turning to give his friends a disgusted sneer before putting on a straight face and opening the door.

Erwin stepped out and nodded his thanks to the MP, Nanaba following close behind. The MP cadets were lined up on either side of the cobblestone leading up to the military courthouse, saluting the commander.

Two MPs on either side of the large wooden doors reached for the brass handles and pulled, exposing the interior of the large building. The commander clutched his documents in his left hand. Erwin and Nanaba exchanged a quick glance. Sighing softly, the commander started for the courthouse, Nanaba following close behind.

The commander was led down a few halls, each one decorated with some sort of military memorabilia. They were all lined with approprietly colored curtains and decorations. large paintings of past and current commanders were hung respectively on the walls. Erwin passed his own portrait in the survey corps hall. He appeared to be staring intensely off into the distance, as if the painter had caught him on the battlefield. 

Erwin tore his gaze away from the portrait and eyed Nanaba, who watched him with unease. 

Minutes later, they reached the conference room. The two escorts positioned themselves on either side of the door. One stood at attention while the other opened one of the dark wood doors, gesturing for the commander to step inside. The blonde nodded his thanks and stepped in.

Nanaba followed in after, holding back a startled flinch when the door slammed at her heels. She tossed a frown over her shoulder at the door but quickly turned to stand at attention as she noticed the murmur of a few people. The murmuring quieted as she looked around from her place next to the commander.

Immediately, her gaze came to rest on the large, rectangle table that was set in the middle of the room parallel to the door. Ten chairs bordered the long sides, with one grand chair at the short ends. Almost all of these seats were taken up save for two. Zackley watched the commander from his seat at the end of the table on the far left. Nile Dok was seated on the farthest row, three seats down from Zackley. Dot Pixis had claimed the grand chair opposite of Zackley. 17 of the remaining chairs had been taken by a mix of garrison and MP higher ups. Leaving two for the survey corps.

Nanaba scanned the rest of the room quickly. The room was considerably sized, and could easily fit 100 people. The walls were plain, as was the floor. No distractions were to be found in any corners of the room, not even a chess set or a vase holding flowers.

The sound of a throat being cleared brought her attention back to the table. Zackley folded his hands on the table and stared calmly, yet intimidatingly, in their direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Erwin's free hand clench and unclench the at his side.

"Erwin Smith, welcome. Let's begin."

\--------

The medical ward was slow today.light silver hair, neutral toned eyes.

Most of the patients Dr.Fitz had taken in over the last few days had nothing more than a common cold or a cut that needed stitches. She had released a ten year old girl this morning that had come down with a stomach bug and needed monitoring. But that was about it.

Dr.Fitz strode down the west wing, her flats making barely any sound on the wood flooring. A clipboard was clutched under her left arm. She came to a door on the right and opened it, stepping it and closing it behind her. The room was lit by the warm orange glow of the evening sun streaming through the window. The patient in the room smiled at the woman and she made her way to his bedside.

"How are you feeling this morning Mr.Zakarius?" She asked.

Mike looked down at his gauze wrapped torso, dotted with dried blood above the wound.

"I've had better days." He muttered, looking back up to the nurse.

She smiled sadly and walked over to a counter in the corner of the room. She opened the cabinet above the counter and pulled a few items from it. Returning to mikes bedside, she slipped the stethoscope around her neck over her ears.

It took about ten minutes to finish the brief checkup. His temperature was fine, his heartbeat was normal, as was his breathing.

Dr.Fitz had carefully removed the gauze and was scanning his wound. Blood stained rows of thread held the burn mark closed. From mid chest down, the mans body was burnt from the plasma blast that had barely scraped his torso. The skin surrounding the wound was black and deteriorating. The dead skin smelled something awful, and the nurse made a quick note not to bend too close to the wound.

"The healing is coming well, Mr.Zakarius." She hummed, scanning the wound.

The man sniffed. "How long are you gunna lie to me?" He grunted.

The nurse stiffened momentarily. Sighing softly, she sat up from his wound and mustered the courage to look him in the eye.

"It looks horrible, doesn't it?" He croaked.

"I bet it feels worse." She mused, sympathy coating her words.

"Can't say it feels good."

"How does it feel?"

". . . It doesn't."

"Hm?"

"I lost feeling from the chest down to my thighs." Mike admitted.

The nurses eyes widened, her brow furrowing. "Sir you never told me about this."

"There's nothing you could have done anyway." He sighed, turning his attention to the window to the right of his bed.

"No, but your commander needs to know! You can't feel anything, anything at all?!" Dr.Fitz raised her voice slightly. She stood and craned over his wound, her hands ghosting over the burned skin.

"Your spine, surely you can feel that?" The nurse slightly pled, her worried gaze drifting up to his own.

He was silent.

Slowly, her eyes fell to her hands, which she pulled away from his skin. Falling back into her chair, she placed a hand over her mouth and stared at the floor.

"I can feel it." He mumbled finally.

Immediately, her hand shot to her side as her mouth dropped open.

"You crushed my heart for those silent minutes, you know!" She snapped. "I thought you were paralyzed."

"I was trying to remember the last time I actually moved. My apologies."

The nurse sighed and reached for the bandages on his bedside table.

"Let me redo these, and then I'll leave you to rest."

The wound was changed with fresh bandages within minutes. The nurse had asked if she could get him anything, and when he declined, she dismissed herself from the room. Dr.Fitz returned to the front desk and sat in the wooden chair, beginning paperwork about a patient. Just as her quill touched the paper, the front door opened. Holding back a sigh, she looked up from her paper.

_'My work Is just never over, is it?_ ' She thought.

She was greeted by a rather short girl in a military uniform. The wings of freedom badge stood out against the tan jacket. The girl had strawberry blonde hair that brushed her shoulders, and bright hazel eyes that she swore could make a grown man drop to his knees.

"How can I help you, miss?" Dr.Fitz smiled.

"I'm here to gather a progress report on Mike Zakarius and Captain Levi." The girl replied, striding up to the desk. An uneasy smile brushed the girls lips as she spoke, and Dr.Fitz could have sworn she heard a tender tone when she spoke of the captain.

"Ah! Of course! Let me find them, I just updated them this morning." The nurse bent to open a drawer by her right foot. Fast fingers swept over name by name as she finally grabbed the two documents she was looking for.

"Here they are, dear. Can I get your name?" The nurse asked, handing over the reports.

"Petra Ral." She replied, her eyes scanning a document.

Dr.Fitz finished writing down her name and looked back up to Petra. "Is that all?" She asked.

The girl was silent for a few seconds before her eyes suddenly widened a little.

"Can I please see the Captain? Is he awake?" She asked quickly.

The nurse was taken back by her sudden burst. "I-I'm sorry, not just anyone can see him. And unfortunately, he has not awoken yet."

"Please, Dr.Fitz." She pleaded, her hand coming to rest on the nurses desk. "I'm part of Squad Levi. I'm Petra Ral, Special Operations Squad."

Fitz watched her for a second, the girls pleading eyes searching her neutral toned gaze. After a second, the nurse nodded.

"Anything for a Squad Levi member, miss Ral."

The girl smiled brightly as Fitz led her down the hall. after a few minutes, they stopped in front of his door. Petra took a deep breath and nodded for her to open the door.

"Take as long as you need, I'm sure he won't mind." The nurse assured as Petra stepped in. Dr.Fitz closed the door, leaving the two alone.

Petra placed the documents on the counter In the corner by the door and approached the captains bed.

His skin seemed paler than usual. His eyes were closed and relaxed, as if he were just sleeping. His short, black tresses were slightly matted and dotted with dried blood. A gauze bandage was wrapped around his forehead, and traces of a healed black eye shown under his left eye. A few stitches about an inch long were sewn into his right cheek. His lips were dry and cracked.

A small line of blood that had dried a while ago streamed from the corner of his mouth to his chin, creating a dark red line down his face and neck. His mouth hung open slightly as he breathed. A thick, white blanket was draped over him from the neck down, hiding the wounds she knew were there.

Petra walked up to his bedside and looked down at the man somberly. Her eyes widened momentarily, and she stood up straight immediately. Her right hand shot to her chest in a dignified salute to her captain. She stood for a few seconds, waiting for an "at ease" she knew would never come.

"Good evening, captain." She greeted, a smile gracing her lips. Petra dropped her hand from her chest. Pulling up a chair, she sat by his bedside and searched his sleeping face. His chest rose and fell slowly with each breath.

"Things have been a little slow since that day." She began. "_______ still hasn't come back yet, but rest assured, sir, she will! I know she will." Petra fell silent. A sad smile touched her face.

"I've been trying to keep the base clean, with Gunther, Eldo, and Oluos help, of course. I don't know how you do it." She chuckled lightly.

"We miss you, sir. All of us. Your squad especially." She croaked, fighting against the lump in her throat. Tears began to blur her vision. "Me especially." She rubbed her eyes on the back of her sleeve and sniffed.

Outside, Dr.Fitz was standing next to the door, listening quietly. She would be lying if she said she hadn't wiped away a tear as well.

Petra cleared her throat, a tear breaking away and dripping down her cheek.

"We will keep going, though. We won't let this slow us down, we promise, sir! I will- I mean, we will be awaiting your return. In the meantime, please rest and get better." The woman assured, tears streaming down her cheeks. This time, she didn't make an effort to stop them.

She stood and saluted once more. Bending down, she smoothed his hair back from his forehead and pressed her lips to the bridge of his nose. She let her lips linger for a moment before she pulled back and stood up, retreating from his bedside. Petra grabbed the documents from the counter and pushed the door open. She looked back over her shoulder for a moment before she stepped through the door, closing it behind her gently.

She never saw the soft smile grace his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah yeah I know Levi/Petra moment. I ship it. sue me. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, let me know how I'm doing and how I can do better! Feedback is always welcome, and criticism is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS taken with open arms! Let me know how you feel about this fic! Love it? Great! Hate it? Let me know why! 
> 
> Alsoooo ITS OCTOBER FOLKS. Waiting for any idea for a AOT Halloween mini fic! Feel free to leave prompts for a Halloween fic! 
> 
> Come follow me on tumblr for more HTTYD, SNK, AND MORE!  
> Heichous-cleaning-supplies.
> 
> That's all for this week, thank you guys so much for all the love and support this fic continues to receive every day. I really appreciate it. 
> 
> Have a great week, I'll see you all next Sunday!


	14. Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Mike the day he saved Levi? today, he tells us!

Dr.Fitz saw Petra out and returned to her paperwork. Mikes daily report was almost finished, and she stopped for a brief moment to read it through. Under his name and measurements as well as age and features, the progress of his wound was scribbled neatly in cursive.

"As of October 5th, 845, the wound appears to be healing neatly. The patient is experiencing minor paralysis from the chest down to the thighs, but the spine was still functional. Dead skin is beginning to fester and decay around the lower ribcage area-keep an eye out for infection. Minor surgery may be required to remove dead tissue. Broken knee appears to be healing nicely, keep it stabilized."

Satisfied, she dabbed her quill in the ink pot and began to finish the report. His story still wandered through her mind every day or so. How he got injured, that is.

 _'That man is so lucky he didn't get hit directly. It would have killed him. But in the state he was in when he got here, his blood loss could have done the same_.' She thought.

 

Mikes POV.

_The horrible screeching filled the air. A sound that was all too familiar by now. It shouldn't be, it really shouldn't._

_The belts tightened around my frame as I sped towards Levi at blazing speed. The wind whipped and tugged at my body, and the rain wasn't much help either. I retracted the grappling hooks and shot them to a new location directly behind the dragon. Tension rose in my stomach as I heard the desperate cries of the soldiers around me._

_I winced as my eardrums screamed at the pitch. The closer I got to the dragon, the louder the screeching got. My eyes were trained on my target as I was only feet away. My feet touched the ground briefly as I reached out for Levi. I grabbed him around the waist and pushed off of the cobblestone._

_I remember turning around to face the dragon, the captain held close to my body. I remember an explosion. I remember Levi being ripped away from my arms. Intense heat, intense pain, and then blackness._

_A light ringing in my ears attracted my attention. I felt as if I had been asleep for days. How long has it really been? The ringing began to increase in volume. I'd kill to make it stop._

_I cant move. I can't breath. I can't speak or open my eyes. Am I dead? Is this what it's like to be dead?_

_No, the dead don't feel nausea._

_The contents of my stomach were suddenly filling my throat, and my body lurched as it poured from my mouth. The sickening taste of bile filled my mouth and nose. I coughed and sputtered, desperate to draw a breath of air. My body coiled again as a second wave hit me. My stomach and chest relaxed once more, pressure now beginning to creep up on the front half of my body._

_'I think im laying on my stomach . . .'_

_My whole body suddenly awoke, intense pain screaming from every muscle, limb and organ.  
My mouth parted in an attempt to scream. The sound was broken by sharp intakes of air and violent coughs. I lay there for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside._

_'I think my eyes are open, but all I can see is black. I can't smell anything. I can't hear anything other than the ringing.'_

_Slowly, the blackness began to recede. Dust. The first thing I see is dust. It was quiet. Or maybe I'm deaf. I think it's just quiet. My head hurts like hell and I still can't move._

_I waited for my vision to clear, blinking rapidly to make it go faster. I looked around, my eyes half open. Its all i can manage. I was laying on my stomach, on a roof I think. My eyes scanned the area. A piece of rock was lodged in the shingles a few feet to the right. A larger piece of rock was right next to my head. A hand, I think it's my own. Blood. Ah, I think that's mine too._

_The vomit had created a lovely river down the side of the building. I shut my eyes tight as a hollow feeling filled my head. My heartbeat began to echo in my ears. Every breath sounded ten times louder than necessary. My vision focused and refocused._

_'No, you're not passing out. Wake up Mike. You can do this.'_

_I slowly bent my left arm and attempted to push myself up, grimacing when I felt a stinging pain attack the limb. I pushed my aching legs under my body and pushed myself to my feet.  
My whole body screeched as I stood up straight and looked around. Dust. There's a shit ton of dust. I looked down at the street below. Puddles riddled the area from the rainstorm that passed only minutes ago. It was a two story drop to the damp road._

_Looking back up, I scanned the area again. Something nagged at the back of my mind. I'm forgetting something. God damnit, why can't I think straight. My vision focused on a figure slumped against a building not too far off._

_Levi._

_Gritting my teeth, I reached for my gear controls and gripped them tightly. My gear was badly damaged, but it was still useful as far as I was concerned. I shot the hooks into a house across the street and glided to the road. I landed sloppily, stumbling as I hobbled to Levi's side._

_He looked like shit. He was all bloody and broken, and he took a nasty wound to the head. His clothing was ripped and his arm hung at an odd angle. His face was covered in scratches and fresh blood, almost beyond recognition. A pang of fear hit me as I dropped to the ground and took his wrist on my hand. I pressed a finger to the underside and waited._

_A heartbeat._

_My aching shoulders sagged as I gripped his wrist tighter. Carefully, I slipped my arms under his knees and his back. I hissed as another pang hit me in the torso when I stood up. The smaller mans head lolled back as I limped back to the building. The grappling hooks shot from my sides and slammed into the side of a different two story house, hurling us onto the roof._

_As soon as my feet touched the shingles, my knees buckled. I yelped when my knee hit the roof and let out a sickening crack. I stood again, favoring my right leg, and limped to the chimney. There, i set Levi down and turned around. The hooks from my gear dug into the side of my original roof and carries me there. I landed on my left foot and hobbled for a few seconds before regaining my balance._

_Dragging myself to the chimney, I slumped against it and breathed heavily. Everything stung. I looked down at my abdomen and breathed out heavily when I saw the blood seeping through my shirt. I laid my left hand on the wound, only to see that it had been sliced open and was bleeding freely. How did I not feel that?_

_My body numbed. My eyes began to flutter as I fought to stay conscious. I noticed a familiar rusty flavor was present in the back of my mouth, and I coughed a few times when I realized there was blood in my throat._

_"MIKE?" A voice called form below. My eyes widened a little, stifling a stubborn cough. I smiled a little when I saw a familiar blonde walk around the street below._

_Erwin found me eventually. He looked somewhat horrified at my appearance, but I guess it wasn't too bad that he felt the need to rush me to the nurse. I guess I felt worse than I looked. I told him where Levi was, and not too long after he got there did Hanji come to me on the roof._

_"Mike!" She called, her feet touching the roof as her hooks returned to her gear. The brunette ran to me with her eyes wide._

_"Are you okay?! Does it hurt?! How much blood have you lost?!" She spit off questions like a machine gun until I silenced her with a simple 'I'm fine.' Even though that was a total lie, at least maybe it would get her to calm down._

_Her brow furrowed as she knelt down and gently brushed my hand aside from the wound. Her touch was gentle as she gently ghosted her fingers over the surrounding area. I hissed loudly when her finger touched the edge of the wound. She quickly pulled her hands away and looked up at me. A sad smile lifted her lips_

_"Still tough as nails?" She joked._

_I chuckled lightly. "Always."_

_Hanji grinned a little and looked over her shoulder._

_"NANABA!" She called. "GET FITZ!"_

_The woman, who Mike didn't even know was there, called back to confirm and ran off. Hanji turned back to Mike and stood._

_"Don't move. I'm going to find Erwin." She announced, her hands gripping her gear controls._

_"He's on that roof with Levi." Mike told her, pointing at the house. Hanji wasted no time, turning immediately and jumping off of the house. I let out a careful sigh, grimacing slightly when another wave of pain struck my torso. I let my head fall back against the chimney and closed my eyes._

_I lay there in peace waiting for the nurse. When you really try, it was calm out. The smell of rain tried its best to break through the dust. Birds were nowhere to be found, people weren't bustling about, titans weren't stomping. It was a beautiful peace._

_But the peace didn't last long. My nose twitched and my eyes shot open. Pupils dilating, my gaze shot to the right. I focused on the black dragon that was hovering in the air, her wings flapping rhythmically. She looked around, a desperate moan leaving her throat. I narrowed my eyes as her gaze locked on me._

_She beat her wings a few times and got closer, landing on the roof. My breath shook slightly and I pushed myself harder against the chimney. She took light steps, her head bowed low to the shingles as if she were sneaking up on me. I glared at her as she stopped in front of me. The dragon stared down at me, studying my condition._

_Her head lowered to sniff my wound, and I snarled. She froze, meeting my gaze timidly. Her large, black nose sniffed my torso and hand gingerly. A small whine left her throat, and she turned to my uninsured hand. She pushed her nose under my hand and closed her eyes._

_I let out a breath, my hand tensing over the surprisingly warm scales. The skin was comforting, and warm. Like a mothers hug. She pulled back and searched my face briefly before turning away and taking off.  
I watched her go, my hand still hovering in the air._

_Below, the nurse called up to me. I didn't answer._

_\-------_

Dr.Fitz sighed, shaking her head as she finished the lat of the report. 'What a story. Something to write down for a rainy day, huh?'

Outside one of the front windows, a large black shadow flashed from one end of the building to the other. Dr.Fitz froze for a second, raising her eyes to the window. She searched it for a few seconds before frowning and returning to the paperwork.

 _'I should check on Levi after this.'_ She thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Please let me know how I'm doing, and how I can do better! Criticism is always welcome, please don't be shy!
> 
> It's October! Leave me a Halloween fic idea and I'll get to it!
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all the love and support this fic is getting, I appreciate it so much! Shoutout to Union for giving me confidence to write more.
> 
> That's all for this week, thank you all so much for reading! Have an awesome week, see y'all next Sunday!


	15. Complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO YO ITZ YA BOI NUT COMMIN ATCHU WIT ANOTHER CHAPTER.  
> Welcome back guys! Sorry, this chapter will be a little short due to a time crunch this week! Enjoy!

The conference room was decently lit by flickering torches on the walls. Small piles of neatly stacked documents sat in front of their owner on the dark wood table.

"You have all been called here to discuss the events previous to this day as well as the search and recovery mission. This will be merely a long discussion, and I will take no pleads for guilty or not guilty. As soon as the dragon is recaptured she along with the Survey Corps will appear in front of the military court." Darius explained, his firm voice echoing slightly. "Nile, please begin."

Nile stood and cleared his throat, briefly regarding the documents in his right hand. The MPs that came with him all regarded him silently.

"Sir, over the past few weeks since the dragon had arrived, nothing but chaos has come from the area surrounding. It currently holds numerous accounts of treason, attempted murder, and arson behind it. Repairs that need to be made as a result of the destruction will require a lot of money, time, and men. Things the military as a whole is low on. I think it is unwise to organize a search and recovery mission regarding the dragon, and we should instead focus our defenses on the walls should it ever come back." The mans eyes briefly met Erwin's icy gaze before he sat down.

Zackley pondered over it for only seconds before nodding slightly. "I see. Erwin, please give your report."

Nanaba met her commanders gaze confidently, giving him a ghost of a smile. Erwin nodded to her and stood from his chair. "Since the dragon entered our possession, we have had trouble. However, we have also learned a great deal about this animal."

Nile raised his hand and glared at the blonde. "Shouldn't you focus more on the titans instead of this plaything? You're job is to fight titans for the greater good of humanity, not poke at wild animals you found in the fore-"

"That's enough, Nile. It is not your turn to speak." Zackleys deadly gaze shifted to Nile, who silenced himself immediately. Darius nodded for Erwin to continue.

"Through trial and error we have learned the dragons strongest abilities and weak points. From what we saw in our training ring, she would make an excellent fighter. This being said, the past week and a half have proved us wrong. With the escape of the dragon, we were asked to organize a search and recovery mission to retrieve the dragon. I have come to say why that cannot be done. Since the battle outside of Trost district, it has been made clear that this animal contains the ability to overpower the strongest of our soldiers. Including captain Levi." Pixis flashed a dangerous gaze. Nile looked at his hands on the table.

"Captain Levi is currently under a coma and is being treated in the medical ward. There is no news on when he will wake. Until he is fully recovered and fit to return to the field, Nanaba has stepped up as his temporary replacement." The woman at his side stood and saluted Zackley for a moment, before dropping her hand and returning to her seat.

"The dragons power and intelligence labels her unpredictable and deadly, and therefore I do not think it would be in our best minds to search for her." Erwin concluded. Zackley watched him for a second.

"Unpredictable and deadly indeed, Pixis yo-" "This all being said, I have a second opinion on this." Erwin interrupted Zackley. Nanaba stiffened and looked up at Erwin. A familiar flash behind the mans eyes sent a shiver down her spine. Zackley nodded. "Continue."

Erwin folded his hands behind his back. "Her strength and power make her deadly, but they also make her useful. She can learn. Though all of our tests and exercises we have discovered that this creature is extraordinarily intelligent and can be reasoned with. It learns quickly and can master any skill in a short amount of time. This makes her incredibly easy to train. With time, I'm sure that she will acquire a high level of obedience and trust, and would be an excellent addition to the Survey Corps as a fellow soldier."

Next to him, Nanaba was gripping the arms if her chair tightly, her knuckles white. She looked up at Erwin in disbelief.

' _He never discussed this with me! In fact, I don't think he discussed this with any of us! Train a dragon to be a soldier? The odds are against us, what is he thinking?'_

"I see. I expect to have an explanation about your choice of operations at the trial." Zackley said as Erwin sat down. The blonde nodded, and the commander in chief motioned for Pixis to give his opinion.

Erwin looked over at Nanaba, almost taken back by her face scrunched in disbelief. He merely sent her a half smile and placed a hand on the one nearest to him. He grasped the shaking hand and pried it gently from the arm of the chair. The two exchanged silent glances before turning their attention back to Pixis.

"My men have seen many many things over the past few weeks. Starting with the dragons first escape, and ending with her recent one. I have had many come to me with fear behind their eyes as they asked for their orders regarding the suspicious creature. And yet, all of them stood proudly in the face of the unknown. For that I am proud to call them my fellow soldiers. I am questioning, as are many, the Survey Corps ability to handle the animal. Regarding the search and rescue mission, I think it is a waste of resources and men." Pixis fell silent.

Erwin watched Pixis as the wise looking man began to speak again. "But, I do not think it is a lost cause. I can see potential behind the mask she shows to humanity. I can see a weapon against the titans, and a possible extreme upper hand over them. Balancing benefits with the risks, I believe that retraining the dragon to accommodate the life of a soldier for the better of humanity is the wisest decision." Erwin's brow rose slightly, and Pixis looked over to meet Erwin's gaze momentarily. A faint smile lifted the mans lips before he returned to his chair.

Zackley nodded, silently mulling it all over in his head. He was silent for a few minutes, leaving everyone to their thoughts and hopes. A garrison member sitting across from Nanaba coughed nervously. Finally, Darius folded his hands on the table and scanned the faces in the room.

"I have heard your opinions regarding the matter and have come to a conclusion of my own. This, however, will not be the final conclusion and is subject to change after the trial. I will not release it now for that reason. You are all dismissed." He finished, standing up.

All at once, everyone stood and started for the door. Erwin and Nanaba broke from the crowd and briskly made their way through the military dedicated halls to the front door. When they stepped outside, Nanaba squirted slightly from the sunlight. She looked up for a moment to study the sky. The sun hung low in the sky, close to sunset.

'Hard to believe we were in there for an hour and a half. It's almost sunset.'

The two returned to the carriage they arrived in, and soon they were on the way back to headquarters. Nanaba was bent over slightly, her elbows resting on her knees as her hands cradled her face. Erwin watched the woman, a slight chuckle daring to escape his throat. She looked up at him after a while, her body shaking slightly from the jerking carriage movements.

"Sir." She started.

"Yes?"

"You never brought this up. This plan."

"I didn't bring it up to anybody."

"Sir, with all due respect, we have no idea if this will work."

"Humanity never progressed through avoiding the unknown."

Nanaba looked up and met his calm blue orbs. "Train a dragon . . . To be a soldier of war? It's a destructive creature, capable of wiping out humanity with the flick of its tail!" The woman's voice grew in volume steadily. "Sir I don't think his is a good idea, think of how many lives will be put at stake if this were to go through! Not just our fellow soldiers, but the civilians! We got lucky she hasn't killed anyone so far!"

"I had a feeling you would react like this. Especially because of Mikes condition."

She gasped softly, her eyes widening a tad.

"You two were good at keeping it under the table." Erwin continued. "But Mike said a few things while he was drifting in and out of consciousness from the blood loss."

Nanaba cursed the sandy haired man under her breath, evading the commanders gaze.

"I'm sorry sir. I accept any punishment that is the result of this." She mumbled, pursing her lips slightly.

Erwin let out a laugh under his breath. "Punishment? For what?"

She looked up at the commander. "Relationships in the military are usually frowned upon, I didn't think it would be allowed."

Erwin shook his head slightly. "Punishment for falling in love? I've never heard of such a thing. Yes, there are rules against relationships, but seeing as you two are on the same squad and it doesn't seem to be interrupting training and professional matters, I have no problem with it. However, if it does prove to be a problem or distraction, I'm afraid I will have to ask you two to separate. Just make sure to keep it silent."

Nanabas eyed begged to overflow with tears. A wave of thank you's poured from her tongue as she saluted her commander happily. Erwin smiled and gave an "at ease". A few brief words were exchanged before silence fell between the two.

For the first time on this trip, it was a comfortable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know I ship Nanaba and mike SUE ME.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all the love and support this fix continues to receive every day, I appreciate it more than words can express.
> 
> If I don't get any Halloween prompts by Thursday I'm just writing my own mini fic xD. Leave a Halloween mini fic idea in the comments!
> 
> Please let me know how I'm doing so far and how I can do better! I love getting feedback! 
> 
> That's all for this weekend, thank you all so much for reading and coming back every weekend! 
> 
> Have a great week y'all, stay safe on Halloween!


	16. Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween yesterday! Enjoy :)

The blackness of night engulfed the walls. Flame lit lanterns hung by small poles were placed at every street corner in rose. Houses were dark and silent, not a light to be seen in any of the windows. The night lay, undisturbed by the golden glow of night. Save for one building.

Deep in the forest, far from the villages and close to Survey Corps headquarters, the medical ward continued to function long after the last rays of sun disappeared from the horizon. There was no such thing as a break from serving humanity's first line of defense. They had their slow days, but work never stopped completely. A few nurses patrolled the halls, some heading to a specific room. 

In hall A, room 13, to be exact, a nurse sat next to a hospital bed. Her head craned over the clipboard and paper in her lap. The pencil in her hand flicked away as she doodled on the blank sheet. She had been assigned to watch over humanities strongest himself, and needless to say in his current form he wasn't as stoic and intimidating as everyone told of him to be. He appeared helpless and actually kind of adorable when he was asleep. Sure, his face was still covered in dried blood, stitch wounds and the occasional mud spot. And sure, maybe his hair haven't been cleansed of all the mud and blood that was strewn onto it only days ago, all giving him the rough edge. But he still looked calm when he was asleep.

The girls brown eyes lay half lidded in exhaustion. For hours, she had sat here and twiddled her thumbs and braiding her red hair over and over. The man never once moved or even sighed in his sleep. The blank sheet she had been given to record any movement or awakenings had long since been transformed into an art pad. Sketches of horses, scenery, and light doodles and scribbles littered the page. Nothing could save her from the boredom she struggled through.

She looked at the window to the right of the patients bed. It was decently sized, about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide with white trim around the edge and down the middle with two latches in the center. It opened by pushing the two panes left and right. Standing up, the girl grasped the latches and threw open the window. The cold late autumn air slapped her skin, raising goosebumps in its path. She looked outside the second story window at the blackness of the sky. A few lone stars dotted the sky here and then, the moon nowhere to be found in the dark abyss. 

Sighing, she drummed her knee lightly and closed the window halfway. She turned and gathered her things. Clipboard and pencil clutched in her left hand, she looked at the mans face one last time before striding to the door, opening it, and leaving.

Not a few moments had gone by before the intense flapping of large wings made itself known outside the window. A large black paw reached out and curled around the window ledge, a second coming to meet it. Thick black claws dug into the wood wall, creating holes in the wood. A loud thump followed by brief scratching resonated from the outside. 

A large head poked into the window and looked around curiously. Bright blue eyes scanned the room. The gaze landed on the hospital bed and immediately froze. The animal did its best to fit the upper half of its body through the window, huffing in annoyance when the large wings refused to enter. The dragons back legs kicked wildly in mid air outside while she pushed against the wall with her front paws. 

The dragon growled softly, going limp and giving up. She stretched her neck and sniffed at the patients bed. She could smell the stale blood. Soft sickness radiated from the warm body. The dragons brow furrowed slightly as she softly called to the man. When he didn't respond, she warbled loudly and prodded the edge of the mattress with her right paw. No answer. 

'Is he ignoring me?' She thought. 'Is he mad at me?'

Ears dropping sadly, she wallowed in self pity for a moment before she picked her ears back up. Voices were getting closer to the door. Backing up quickly, the dragons back paws pushed hard against the outside wall. Her eyes scrunched tight as she pulled back repeatedly from the tight space. Finally popping out, she twisted in mid air and spread her wings to catch herself.

The patients door opened and closed as two people walked in. Dr.Fitz strode into the room followed closely by Erwin. 

" . . . ut now you see why I wanted to meet you here to tell you about his condition so far because I-" The head nurse paused as she looked at the wide open window. A cold breeze rushed in as she hurried to the window, leaning over the ledge and looking outside in each direction. She let out a soft hum as she leaned back and closed the window.

"I have no idea who opened that, it might have been his caretaker." The woman muttered.

Erwin's eyes trained on a certain spot on the floor, his brow furrowing slightly. Walking past the nurse, she followed him with her eyes as he stooped down to the ground under the windowsill. His fingers grazed over a spot on the wall that was blocked by his broad back.  
He stood back up a few seconds later and backed away. 

The nurse took this chance to peer around him to see the wall. Her chest clenched tightly with fear. Large claw marks dug their gnarled way into the wood below the windowsill. Her alarmed gaze searched the commander silently. He turned to her, holding something in his hand. When the nurse raised her brow in question, he simply opened his palm and held it out.

A single black scale sat in the middle of his palm. 

 

"She's back." 

Hanji smiled wildly at this announcement. Nanaba, however, was not as pleased. The woman stared at Erwin, her brow furrowed in alarm. The commander sat across from the two in his office at his desk, while they had pulled up two chairs on the opposite side for a brief meeting. Hanji leaned forward in her seat slightly, the chair creaking under her shifted weight. 

"What do we do?" She asked, her wide smile now replaced with a haze of deep thought. Erwin was silent for a moment. 

"I have a plan, but you all have to be willing to follow through with it." He said finally. 

"And that plan would be . . .?" Nanaba trailed off as she waited for the man to fill the blank. He looked at her for a second before opening a drawer to his right. His hand shuffled around for a moment before pulling out a piece of paper and lightly tossing it onto the desk. Hanji was the fastest to get to it, her hand darting out and snatching the paper like a fox would to its prey. Her eyes scanned over the parchment. Not seconds had gone by before she slammed it down on the desk, shaking the wood. Erwin and Nanaba jumped, and Erwin looked up at Hanji.

He was met with a goofy grin and a familiar flash of determination behind her glasses. 

"Let's do it." She smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ey yo smith. Whatcha got planned? Stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the love and support! Without the kind words and kudos I wouldn't have the motivation I do to write every week :)
> 
> Please let me know how I'm doing and how I can do better! Leave a comment and tell me hoe you feel about this. Criticism and ideas are always welcome!
> 
> That's all for this week, thank you guys again! Have an awesome week, see you guys next Sunday!


	17. Hanji's Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I owe all of you an apology. I'm so sorry that I missed last weeks chapter! I was so busy and before I knew it, it was Tuesday night the next week! I tried to make this chapter a little longer with the little time I had this week. Unfortunately, I'll be missing next Sundays chapter as well, I have a horse show to prepare for and I need all of my spare time to pack the truck and get the horses ready. I'm so sorry! I will be back the following week though! Please enjoy this chapter, I hope you all like it.

"Let's do it." She smiled. 

Erwin nodded and turned to Nanaba. The woman stood and saluted the commander proudly.

"It is my duty to serve humanity in the best way possible. I will aid in this plan; I trust you. I will do my best." She vowed.

Erwin nodded to her and stood. "Very well then."

\-------

Erwin strode down a long hall in the castle, his stride slow as he looked out the large windows to his right. The last of the afternoon sun began to disappear behind the wall. Orange, red and pink hues burst from the horizon and struck the surrounding clouds, painting them softly with their light. 

Approaching footsteps broke his moments of peace. He stopped in front of a window and turned his head slightly. Hanji strode towards him and stopped a few feet in front of him. Erwin nodded his greeting to the woman and she did the same. They stood in silence, appreciating the view before Hanji cleared her throat.

"When do we start?" She asked curiously.

Erwin's gaze didn't tear from the sky beyond as he spoke. "Tomorrow morning. I was just coming to see you."

Hanji hummed softly. When he finally turned to look at her, her head was held high with a familiar gleam touching her eyes. "Your orders, sir?" She smiled. 

Erwin met her playful gaze. "I want you to patrol the area surrounding the medical ward. Bring back as much evidence as you can, but mark the area you found it in. Take as much time as you need, but be back by mid afternoon. You don't want to bump into it when it comes out of hiding."

Hanji nodded, a wide grin now lighting up her face. "I'll gather the others then.

\----------

*The next morning, October 23rd, 7Am.*

5 horses stood in the cold morning air, saddles tightened and bridles fixed. Their reins were tied to individual posts to keep them from walking off. The animals warm steamy breaths clouded their muzzles as they waited patiently for their riders. Only ten feet away, Hanji stood with a small squad surrounding her. Each person was bundled with a somewhat bulky tan coat that bore the survey corps logo on the back. 

Hanji held out a map in her hands for the squad to see. "We'll start here," she pointed to a spot on the map next to the medical ward. "From there we'll travel north, towards the wall, and then we'll split up here," her finger pressed down on a spot that would be a miles travel from the ward. "And go through the forest. Keji, Dieter, you'll take the east side. Moblit, Pere, you take the west. I'll continue north. After you spread out, meet back here at noon. Everyone understand?" The squad mumbled, which Hanji took as a yes.

"Good." She chirped, rolling up the map and stuffing it into the right pocket of her jacket. "Let's go."

The hoofs thudded against the frozen dirt. Hanji bent over the neck of her horse, the map clutched in between her right hand and the right rein. Looking up to the horizon, the wall began to peek up from the treetops of the dense forest. Raising her left hand, she pointed two fingers left. Moblit and Pere immediately broke off from the group and turned to the left, beginning their private search. 

With the same hand, she pointed right, and Keji and Dieter went their separate way. Hanji returned her hand to the rein and stuffed the map in her gear belt. Pushing her heels farther down in the stirrups, she slapped the reins and clucked to the horse. The animals brown ears flicked back in a brief annoyed gesture as it picked up the pace. "Good girl." Hanji cooed softly.

The woman's breath came out in harsh exhales and soft inhales as her lungs struggled against the cold air. Her nose ran and the cold bitter air clawed at her skin mercilessly, but none of that mattered. Her sharp brown eyes scanned the area like a hawk. Minutes passed without anything. Those minutes turned to an hour, and by now her horse had grown tired and was now loping at a lazy canter. They had gone to the wall, skimmed it for a while, and then turned back to the forest to head south. No sightings of anything, not even a bird.

The squad leader sighed and pulled on the reins to bring the horse down to a walk, and eventually a halt. She hopped off and patted the horses neck. She led the heavily panting animal to a tree and dropped the reins to let it graze. The horse gratefully dropped its mouth to the forest floor and tore at the foliage. Hanji sat on a stump and pulled out the map to examine it. She stared at it for a few minutes, looking around and plotting her route. 

Hanji stood and began to walk around slowly, her nose buried in the map. Suddenly, her right foot caught on something, and she stumbled forward. She let out a yelp as she tumbled to the forest floor, the map flitting in the air behind her. Sitting up with a huff, she looked behind her to look at her foot. Her brow furrowed when she was met with the rather disgusting sight.

A large deer, a doe to be exact, was laying on its side. Dead. It's legs sprawled out dramatically. A huge hole was torn into its side, with half of its belly completely gone. Entrails spilled onto the ground from the cavity, with a few broken rib bones sticking out from underneath torn muscle and meat. Bright crimson blood trickled from the corner of its mouth. Hanji pulled her foot away from it and turned to kneel beside it. Touching the animals neck, she buried her finger into the pelt to feel its skin.

"There's a trace of warmth, she was killed recently." She mumbled.

Her gaze scanned over the large wound. She'd never seen anything like it. Not even a wolf could do this much damage in such a short amount of time. 

"It's almost like something took a huge bite out of it." She hummed. Her eyes widened immediately. A smile lifted her lips. "Something big took a bite out of it!" The woman squealed and sprung up, her eyes searching the ground. 

"AHA!" She shouted her hand slamming down on the ground. A large print was indented into the ground, with thick, deep claw marks at the front ends. Hanji looked up from the direction the print was pointing, directly towards wall rose. 

"I found you~!" She sang. She pulled a wadded up green cloth from her pocket and broke a stick from a nearby tree. She tied the cloth to the stick and stuck it into the ground behind the doe. Snatching the map from the ground, she plotted where she found the evidence and stuffed it into her gear belt.

The woman ran to her horse, who watched the woman approach with perked ears. She lept into the saddle and gathered the reins in each hand. Clucking, she kicked the animal forward towards headquarters. 

"They're not gunna believe this!" She bubbled. 

\----

*Mid Day, about 11:45 am.*

Dieter and Keji walked their horses to the meeting spot and stopped. Not too long after, Moblit and Pere returned as well.

Dieter looked at Moblit expectantly. "Find anything?" 

Moblit shook his head and raised his brow at dieter. The man shook his head as well and sighed. "Empty handed for us too. Seen Hanji?" 

Before Moblit could answer, the furious pounding of hoofs echoed from the forest. Hanji suddenly burst from the forest, her eyes bright and her smile wide. Her horse thundered past the group and kicked up bits of grass.

"We gotta get to headquarters!" She shot over her shoulder. Her horse continued towards the castle, leaving the four confused and blinking rapidly. Moblit looked at Pere, who simply sighed and urged his horse after Hanji. 

\-------

The charcoal pencil glided over the document with ease. Every word neatly sized and spaced, showing the intense care and thought that was put into it.

The door slammed open, cracking the wall. "ERWIN!"

The pencil jerked across the paper. A thick black line traveled through everything in its path from the bottom left of the document to the other side. Erwin closed his eyes and gripped the pencil tightly. 

"Yes, Hanji?" He whispered.

"I found sometin'~~" she hummed.

\--------

*Early Afternoon, About 12:45.*

The commander knelt over the deer carcass, his brow furrowed slightly. 

"It's about 3 hours old." He mumbled to himself. His fingers traced around the grooves of the front of the bite mark. Standing, he moved to the paw print and followed the direction it pointed.

"So she's hiding beyond the wall . . ." He breathed. Hanji nodded behind him and walked up next to him.

"That's what I was thinking too. What do we do with that, though? All those titans in wall Maria, even the fastest horse couldn't get through them. And our gear doesn't do well either." She frowned. 

Erwin's eyes narrowed slightly and he turned to his horse. "Come on. Let's get back to HQ. Hanji, I want to see you in my office as soon as we get there." 

\--------

Hanji paced slowly around Erwin's office. The blonde man simply sat at his desk, his hands folded as he watched her.

"This puts a damper on smokin' her out, huh?" The squad leader mumbled. Erwin hummed in response.

"This means we'll have to catch her in the act." He spoke.

"Mhm. And I think I know how to do it." 

"Do tell."

"We have to ambush her." Hanji walked to the empty seat across from Erwin. "Our problem, however, is how do you sneak up on an animal with a keen sense of everything." The woman sighed. "We watched her in the area. I watched her from the top of the wall the day Levi went under. She notices everything. Just by standing next to you she knows when the last time you ate was, what it was, and how well it was cooked. Not to mention that she's extremely dangerous if we make her angry."

Erwin nodded softly, his hand coming up to smooth his hair back. "We're at an extreme disadvantage." 

Hanji chuckled a little. "Never stopped us before, though." 

Erwin smiled faintly. "We can worry about this tomorrow. In the mean time, grab Nanaba and ask her to come down here."

"Sure." Hanji stood from her chair and waved over her shoulder as she exited the room.

About five minutes passed when Nanaba finally walked through his door. The blonde stepped in and approached the desk, her gaze questioning.

"What did you need me for, sir?" She asked.

"I need you to accompany me to the medical ward tomorrow. Mike is finally fit to return to duty and Dr.Fitz asked that I come to retrieve him." Erwin explained.

Nanaba's face brightened at the news. "And he's doing well?" Erwin nodded softly, a smile threatening to touch his face.

"His wound healed perfectly." The man assured. Nanaba sighed in relief. "I'd be happy to come with you, sir."

"Good, be at the stables at 10 am tomorrow." He finished. The woman nodded and walked out, the door clicking shut behind her. Erwin twisted slightly in his chair, his head craning to look out the window behind his desk. The sky was cloudy, not a ray of sun in sight. The trees had lost most of their leaves by now, their bare branches reaching to the sky like brittle bones.

"So what do i do with you?" He mumbled.

BONUS: Next Chapter

 

*October 25th, 8pm.*

The red headed girl was back at Levi's bedside. A pencil was perched between her thumb and index finger, flicking wildly as she applied pressure to it. This was probably the most boring job she'd ever been assigned in the medical ward. Her piece of paper had been turned into a small clump that was all the way across the room; she wasn't very happy with the Titan she drew on it. reaching up to her head, she separated her thick hair into three equal parts and started braiding it.

She was almost at the bottom of the braid when a faint groan stopped her dead. The girl froze, her hair dropping from her hands. The girls pigeon brown eyes darted to the mans figure. His left hand twitched, and she flinched backwards. His left hand continued to move, until it started to clench and unclench. And then, it stopped. 

The girl remained quiet as she studied his figure. Suddenly, his eyes burst open. She gasped loudly, and the eyes darted to her startled form. The icy blue orbs gazed into her very soul, tearing apart any known form of comfort and peace, replacing it with fear. She found no voice to scream, she found no energy to move, instead she could only sit and return his gaze with silence.

"Who the fuck are you." Levi asked. His voice was scratchy and low, enough so to scare her into moving. The girl shot up from her chair, her feet slipping once as she ran to the door. Her hands gripped the doorframe as she tore out, her knuckles white.

"DR.FITTZZ!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Let me know how I'm doing and how I can do better! Feedback is encouraged! Criticism and suggestions are always welcome.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all the love and support this story continues to receive, it makes me so happy to see that you guys enjoy it :)
> 
> That's all for this week, again, I'm so sorry I missed last week without a warning. Like I said, I'll also be missing next week due to a horse show. Have an awesome two weeks!


	18. Back From the Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it feels good to be back! I'm still really sorry I had to miss last weekend guys. I appreciate the patient wait for the return! It feels great to be back! Enjoy!

The redhead tore down the hall and made a sharp left, her feet shuffling as she came to a halt in front of the large oak door. Her hand twisted the knob and threw the door open to reveal a very startled and confused Nurse Fitz. The old woman was seated at her desk, the pencil in her hand frozen to the parchment. 

"He's awake, ma'am!" The young girl blurted, panting lightly. 

Dr.Fitz briskly walked down the hall with the redhead at her heels. She stopped in front of Levi's room and looked the assistant in the eye before turning the handle. She pushed the door open lightly and peaked around the crack. Finally, the door was opened all the way. 

Levi laid in his hospital bed, his gaze trained on the window beside his bed. His icy gaze shifted slowly from the window to the nurses face. The nurse swatted away the assistant, who left with a huff. The nurse stepped in and closed the door softly. She watched Levi, who sat up a little and glared. 

"Looks like it always comes down to you in my office, huh?" She chuckled lightly. "I send you out and you come right back to me." Levi's gaze didn't break, only intensified at her friendly remark. 

She cleared her thought uncomfortably. "Do you know who I am?" She asked. Levi shook his head. Oh. That's why he doesn't remember. 

"Do you know who you are?" Levi blinked. A few long seconds went by, each one ticking away at the hope she had for his memory. Finally, he nodded.

"I am Captain Levi, head of the Special Operations squad of the Survey Corps." He croaked. A hand came up to his throat and rubbed it carefully. His fingers traced the long bandage that wrapped around his neck. His hand froze, and he carefully brought both hands into view. The nurse swallowed hard. His hands were still caked with dried blood. A long stitch mark on his right hand carved its way from his middle finger and disappeared underneath the hospital gown he had been dressed in.

The nurse flinched as he suddenly threw back the covers and revealed his legs. Duel snow white, thigh high casts on each leg greeted him. Two metal cuffs held the legs down at the ankles to prevent movement. Levi's brow furrowed as he pulled back the cuff of his left sleeve and studied the bandages that wove up and down his forearm. His right hand touched his cheek gingerly, But he flinched away from his own touch. Grimacing lightly, he looked up at the nurse, who did her best not to look away.

"What happened to me?" He mumbled. Picking up his left hand, he spread out his fingers and studied them. "This isn't my blood. Who's is it?" The mans icy glare demanded answers from the nurse.

She cleared her throat lightly and walked slowly to his bedside. "There was an accident. Do you remember what it was?" Levi thoughtfully stared at his bloody hands. 

"I remember being in a thunderstorm. I remember . . . Mud. Slipping in mud. Mud in my throat, in my eyes, in my ears. A tornado. Almost dying in the tornado," he trailed off, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember. "I found gear, where I got it I can't remember. I climbed the wall, to get to the action on the other side. In involved . . . a dragon . . . dragon . . . dragon . . ."

His eyes focused on his now clenched fists. "________." He whispered. His eyes widening slightly, his eyes darted to the nurse. 

"Where is she?" He demanded. 

The nurse stiffened. "I will get your medication and a glass of water and I will be back shortly." She turned on her heel and started for the door. "Your assistant should be in soon after send her out if you don't want her." She shot over her shoulder, the door slamming shut. 

\--------

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

"How soon after sundown?" 

"A few hours. Give her time to come out. The longer we wait the earlier she'll come out."

"I hope this works. The last time we tried to catch her she destroyed a small village bordering the wall."

"It'll be better this time."

"I hope you're right." Nanaba sighed. The carriage came to a halt outside of the medical ward. Almost immediately, Hanji, who insisted on coming along, burst out the door. Nanaba stepped out calmly, with Erwin following close behind. The brunette smiled widely at Erwin.

"I'm so glad Mikes ready to come back!"she bubbles. Nanaba exchanged a quick glance with the commander before walking to the front doors. "Yeah, me too."

A tall redheaded girl with warm brown eyes claiming to be Levi's assistant met them at the front desk. From what Erwin gathered, Levi wasn't too happy with her and sent her out for being "loud and obnoxious." Upon seeing them, they were asked to stay put while she fetched Dr.Fitz, who arrived only minutes later. 

"How is Mike this morning?" Erwin asked after the greeting.

The nurse smiled. "Fine, fine. He's in perfect health. Physical therapy went great yesterday; he was able to do 30 curl ups before his side started to protest, and his hand is almost completely functional now."

Erwin beamed. "That's wonderful. Can we see him now?" 

The nurses smile faded a little. "Mr.Smith," she began, "Something happened last night. Something we would like you to see." The nurse turned and beckoned them to follow her. Erwin exchanged a worried glance with Hanji as he walked forward. They stopped in front of a hospital room, one Erwin knew immediately. Room 13: Levi's room.

The nurse opened the door and stepped back to allow them in. The commander stepped into the hospital room and was greeted with a cold pair of steel eyes.

"Hey eyebrows."

"Levi . ." He breathed. Hanji pushed her way in behind the blonde and looked at Levi. Her eyes brightened as she rushed to the side of his bed. "You're awake!" She smiled, kneeling down.

"And you smell. Get away from me." Levi mumbled, leaning away from her slightly. 

Nanaba walked out from behind Erwin, who was still standing in the door, her eyes widening when she saw Levi. A hand shot to her mouth as Erwin turned back to the nurse.

"You said there was a big chance he wouldn't wake up?" He asked.

"What is he if he isn't humanities strongest? He always pulls through." She smiled and patted his shoulder. "I'll leave you all to it for a while, and then I need you, Erwin, in my office in a few minutes to discuss a few things."

Erwin turned to the bed after shutting the door, and saw Hanji chatting excitedly with Levi, who listened quietly but with little interest, and Nanaba, who watched it all from her position leaning against the wall. When they heard the door shut, they all went quiet and turned their attention to the commander.

"I don't even know where to start with this." He mumbled.

"Well find a place and start talking, from what I've heard since I woke up you've got a lot of explaining to do. And not just to me." Levi spoke up. 

"What do you want to know first?" Erwin asked as he walked up to the bed.

"What happened to _______?" The silence following his question only greatly increased his anger.

"You know where she is, right?" He pressed.

"No." Erwin answered. Hanjis eyes twitched as she fought back the sudden urge to ask Erwin why he lied. But she knew it was for Levi's own good. 

"Don't fucking lie to me, Smith. You think I haven't noticed anything? Like THAT?" Levi's hand shot from his side and pointed to the jagged nail marks that were carved into the wood under the windowsill. Erwin's gaze flickered to the marks and then back to Levi.

"Just because I was asleep for a while doesn't mean I'm any less or more intelligent than I was when I was awake. Something happened and you're not telling me what it is. Lying will do nothing to hide it from me, so you might as well just spill it now." Levi fumed. 

"Levi," Erwin cut in. "It's something we can't necessarily share with you at the current moment. For the sake of the dragon, please do not ask again until the right time." Levi glared at Erwin. 

"Is there anything else you want to know?" Erwin asked, breaking away from the tense silence

"No." Levi grumbled, turning his head away from him.

"Then I'll bring up something I can tell you." The blonde decided. "Nanaba has agreed to step in for you as Captain until you return."

Nanaba then walked forward and saluted Levi, who nodded his faint approval. "Fine." He muttered. 

A thick silence hung now. Hanji squirmed a little, clearly uncomfortable with the thick atmosphere. 

"Well, I need to go talk with Dr.Fitz. Levi, it's good to see you awake again. I'll be back tomorrow, probably."

Hanji slapped Levi's shoulder lightly and smiled, stepping away from the hospital bed and to the door. Nanaba nodded her farewell and followed Hanji and Erwin out. The door shut, leaving Levi in peace.

"And I'll be here. Maybe." He mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Nut, this chapter was a disappointment, you've been gone for so long and we deserve an extra long chapter.  
> You're right. You guys DO deserve an extra long chapter. But here's why it's not here.  
> I write all of my stories on my iPad, and upload them from my iPad because my computer is an asshole but we won't talk about that. WELL, I had a HUGE chapter written and ready to be edited and uploaded Wednesday night. And I figured, "I'm really tired, I'll do this tomorrow." Well I went back for it Thursday morning and everything was absolutely gone. All of it. The entire chapter was just erased and nowhere to be found. It pissed me the hell off. So in my race to recall everything from the now gone chapter and still hold up all of my plans this week I got extremely sick. Which actually worked in my favor because it gave me an excuse to cancel all of my plans and sit here and cough my lungs out and write. The next chapter is in progress, and will be up next Sunday. 
> 
> There are a few issues I will bring up in a notice following the upload of this chapter.
> 
> Thank you all for the love and support this fix continues to receive each and every day! I really appreciate it and I can't express enough how much I love all of you for waiting for a new chapter every Sunday. Even if sometimes it's not there on Sunday lol.
> 
> Criticism and suggestions are always welcome! I love feedback! PLEASE tell me how I'm doing! 
> 
> That's all for this week, guys! Thanks for sticking around! I hope you guys have an awesome week, I'll see you next Sunday!


	19. Midnight Visits (Even Though It's 1 Am)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS 11:45 TECHNICALLY ITS STILL SUNDAY I CAN DO THIS NOBODY LOOK AT ME

**October 26th, 4 pm.**

Erwin gently pushed open the door and stepped in. Dr.Fitz greeted him with a warm smile, as well as Nanaba and Hanji who stood in the doorway. Erwin turned and quietly dismissed the two women, shutting the door when they left.

"Alright, let's get started with Mr.Zacharius's dismissal paperwork. I need you to sign this, as well as these . . ." 

"So what now?" Nanaba mumbled.

"I guess we can go visit Mike?" Hanji guessed, her gaze drifting to the blonde. 

The two came to Mikes hospital room only minutes later. Hanji pushed the door open eagerly and stepped inside with Nanaba. Mike smiled a little and sniffed.

"Hey Mike! Howya feelin'?" Hanji smiled. Mike shrugged a little. "I've had better days, but I'm ready to come back."

"The past few weeks haven't exactly been kind to you, have they?" Nanaba chuckled lightly. Mike looked over to the woman, who smiled warmly. Hanjis eyes flicked aback and forth between the two as a knowing smile crept onto her lips.

"I'm just gunna . . . Yeah . . ." Hanji slipped out of the room, her grin uncontrollable.

*****

Levi's feet slapped the cobble path. Heavy breaths came and left his mouth, the panting drowned out by the pouring rain. Levi's eyes were wide with fear as he tore through the storm. He didn't know where he was going, or how long it would take him to get there, but he knew he had to be there now. All around him, houses stood as they would in any other village. But they were different here. Here they were black and burned, as if a giant fire had taken place only moments before and put out by the rain. Above him the clouds swirled a dangerous grey, bolts of lightning flickering in their depths. 

The pelting rain passed through his clothing and soaked him to the bone. He shivered slightly, but his step never slowed. The rain began to gather now, creating a thin sea of black liquid that went over the top of his feet. With horrified eyes he watched the water lap hungrily at his ankles, soaking through his boot and into his socks. All the houses began to crumble one by one as the water filled them up and tore them from the inside out. Debris flew past his head and bounced off of his fleeing figure. 

Levi's eyes shot to the ground momentarily as the water began to rise faster and faster. The black water rose to his knees as he struggled to keep his balance. Suddenly, something large slammed into the back of his knees. With a yelp the man was plunged into the dark water. The current tossed him around wildly, slamming his body into numerous objects he briefly assumed to be the side of buildings. 

Levi's head was suddenly pulled out of the water and back into the raging wind and rain. From upstream, mud began to leak into the water, forming a murky prison all around him. His arms and legs flailed as he struggled to keep his head above the surface. His mouth opened to cry out for help only to be filled with mud. 

He coughed violently and was pulled back under the murky water. Every muscle in his body strained as he tried to swim back to the surface. The battle lasted for what seemed like hours before he finally rose above the water. The water rose and fell in violent waves on the surface, engulfing his head but not dragging him under. As Levi looked around, he realized that every building was gone. All except for one. 

A wave crashed over his head and pulled him under. As he resurfaced he saw a large black figure standing on top of that house, watching him with an unfeeling cobalt gaze. A bolt of lightning struck the area behind the figure and illuminated the black hide and large wings it possessed. Levi felt his blood grow cold as the large wings were spread and suddenly the dragon was hovering over him. 

The water around him turned to stone, encasing his body and holding him still. The dragon landed on the stone and craned over his head. Her mouth parted in a snarl and Levi felt the dragons breath hot on his soaked face through the rain and wind. A rumbling roar bubbled up from her throat and tore at Levi's face, pulling back the skin on his cheeks and ripping his eyes out of the sockets. 

Levi screamed and thrashed around, his eyes opening as he bolted upright. He panted heavily and looked around him. He was in his hospital bed in the medical ward. Looking down, Levi grimaced when he realized that he had sweat through his clothes and sheets. His blankets were pooled on the floor next to the bed, having been thrown off sometime during the night. He looked outside the window. Judging by the position of the moon in the sky, it was about 1 in the morning.

Levi haven't had a nightmare in years. Not since Isabel and Farlan died a few years ago. After they died, he had nightmares constantly of their deaths. Regret and sorrow plagued his mind while he slept, forcing him to limit his hours of sleep each night to two or three hours. The raven sniffed and swung his legs over the side of the bed and hauled himself to his feet. Almost immediately, his legs buckled out from underneath him. Being in a coma for a few weeks was clearly taking its toll.

The man hissed and pushed himself up, holding onto the nightstand with both hands. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he could stand. Keeping a hand on the wall, he leaned forward and unlocked the window, pushing it open. The cold October air was welcome on his sweat soaked body. Levi stood in the breeze for a few minutes until he walked back to his bed and sat down. He picked the blankets up and felt them. They weren't soaked with sweat, so he laid them over the sheets. He was about to lay down when he heard a whooshing sound outside.

Levi leaned over on his bed to look outside. Nothing but the stars. And yet the whooshing got louder. Just then, two black paws hooked over the windowsill and dug their claws into the wood. The front of the dragons body was hauled into the room. She shook her head wildly, her black ear slapping against the sides of her head. 

"Oi, ________, it's 1 in the fucking morning, what are you doing in my hospital room." Levi asked, his tone slightly playful towards his friend. The dragon froze, her eyes meeting his. A goofy smile made its way onto her black face and her body began to shake with excitement. 

The raven stood and limped to her, his hand reaching out to balance himself on her large neck. She warbled loudly and nudged his side. ________ picked her head up to look at him as he cupped the sides of her head in his hands. Levi's left thumb brushed over the gouge that ran over her right eye. 

"Where have you been hiding all this time? I heard that you've been causing trouble for eyebrows while I was asleep." Levi poked, his tone mildly scolding. The dragon began to shake again, her mouth parting in a smile. Her eyes narrowed playfully while Levi looked her up and down. His gaze came to rest on the windowsill and Levi's shoulders sagged. 

"Your body Is only halfway in the room. You can't fucking fit in the window, you stupid reptile." He sighed.

"You gotta go anyway. I'm tired as fuck and you need to be gone before Erwin finds out you're here." He mumbled. The dragon warbled sadly, her ears drooping. Levi cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not telling you to jump off a cliff, you can come back tomorrow."

Levi watched as the dragon began to push itself out of the windowsill. It was funny to watch, really. Her front paws scraped and slided on the floor as her shoulders slowly squeezed out of the wooden frame. Her face scrunched uncomfortably at the last stretch and she suddenly fell out of the frame. The surprised warble from below and faint crash made Levi chuckle lightly. He walked to the window in time for her to fly up to eye level and hover for a second. She turned with a small chuff and glided off over the forest.

Suddenly, figures appeared from the treetops, yelling to each other. The dragon screeched and flapped her wings wildly as she was bombarded with nets and ropes with heavy weights. Levi gripped the windowsill, his brow furrowing in alarm. _________ fought back and was almost victorious until a cannon from below fired an iron net into the sky. The net sprawled out and encased the dragon, pulling her to the ground in a black ball of furious screeches. In the moonlight, Levi saw the figures flash the wings of freedom badge on their backs as they dove after the animal. 

Levi growled, his fingertips digging into the windowsill. 

"ERWIN!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's still Sunday, you can't punish me yet! So this chapter was kinda shitty because it was like 5 pm and I was like   
> "Why do I have this feeling I forgot something"  
> And then I was like  
> "Holy shit nuggets on a gold platter I haven't written a diddly damn thing."   
> So I spent the past few hours writing and dying on the inside. I had a plan for the chapter in my head and it's like the more I wrote it down the worse it got and the more I wanted to quit and walk away and make someone else write this story. BUT ITS HERE. TADA. I spent the entire week sick as a dog and almost earned myself a trip to the E.R. When I fainted Wednesday night *fantastic* and I just got my strength back to walk so WHOOP I can finally pack some fuckin boxes. But enough about me. How was your week, reader? I'm curious. 
> 
> Please let me know how I'm doing, and how I can do better! I love feedback and I encourage it :)
> 
> Thank you guys so much for the feedback I already get, it means so much. 
> 
> That's all for this week, have a great week and I'll see you all next weekend!


	20. Windows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I had to post this chapter a bit early, I'm crammed with shit to do tomorrow for the move. I'm pretty happy with the way this chapter turned out. Enjoy ^.^

Levi was furious. He'd spent the remainder of his night fuming and muttering angrily to himself. His pillow was slammed against the wall so many times the feathers were leaking out through small tears. The sky had changed, the sun was up now and poking at his open window. But Levi, however, had not changed. His temper tantrum continued through the morning and drove away his caretaker, who had bravely knocked on the door only to get a vulgar response, to which she assumed her unwelcome appearance.

The trial was postponed until they had eyes on ________. And now that she was back in the survey corps possession, the trail was back on as soon as Zackley got word. And Levi wasn't ready. To be honest, he was terrified this whole operation wouldn't go as Erwin planned, and he would loose his pet to the filthy MPs. Sina knows what kind of horrible things they would do to her. Levi imagined her tied to a steel plank, blood pouring from her mouth while doctors poked and prodded at her organs.

Levi whipped around when a knock came from his door. The door opened and revealed the one person he wanted to see; Erwin. Almost immediately as he stepped into the room, a glass was hurled at the blonde. He ducked and looked back in time to bat away a pillow that was slung after the glass.

"Levi-"

"Don't play that shit with me! We both know what it means to have her back in our possession, did you even think this through? Or was this just some spur of the moment decision while you were taking a sweet shit?" The smaller man sneered. 

"It was going to happen sooner or later and you know that. The best time to do it is now." Erwin replied calmly.

"BULLSHIT!" Levi shouted. "Don't make her a part of another one of your stupid fucking games. Don't invest her life into something she doesn't want."

"It's not for her, it's for humanity."

"So it's a trend with you? Ripping people away from their lives to join your fucking club?" 

The silence following was deafening. Levi's curled fists shook with rage, a vein distinctly popping out of his right arm. Erwin's brow furrowed.

"She doesn't want this. She doesn't deserve this." 

"That's not up to you Levi." 

"It's not up to you either."

"That dragon is one of the best advantages human kind could have on its side. You know for a fact that if we could train her to kill Titans than our death toll would drop significantly. By putting her life on the line we could save hundreds more. It's not up to you wether or not It happens," Levi's lip raised. "But I'm asking- no, TELLING you- you have to consider this. Weigh the benefits with the risks, Levi. You're not thinking about humanity."

With that, the commander turned and left, the door slamming behind him. Levi stood still, his eyes still trained on the spot where he stood. His lip curled over his teeth, his eyes starting to dart around the floor as his gaze darkened. Levi's foot swung out and collided with the side of the bed frame, creating a considerably sized dent in the cracking wood. His bare foot swelled immediately and pulsed with pain.

\---------------

The boy ran a hand through his messy brown hair; a weak attempt at fixing it after his first day of trainee camp. Around him, the other boys in his barrack were settling into their bunks. He chose one all the way in the back and on the left, top bunk. His clothes were quickly discarded and replaced with sleepwear that was provided for him. 

Images flash through his mind while he slept. His dying mother, clutched in the bloodthirsty grip of that smiling bastard. And then, a black mass with wings. Like a large bird. Was it friend or foe? He was stolen away from it before he could get a good look. 

"Koro . . shite . . yaru . . ." He grumbled aloud.

A brunette boy eyed him wearily from the other side of the room. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he rolled onto his side to look away from the mumbling trainee. 

\---------------

Before Erwin knew it, two weeks had passed, and it was November 9th. Over the span of those two weeks, a trial date had been arranged for November 14th. Erwin found himself running out of time, patience with Levi, and quill ink. This time, he sent Hanji to check up on Levi and break the news to him.

Levi was leaned up against a new pillow, his eyes staring out the window. He was faraway, clearly deep in thought. His hands unconsciously fiddled with the blanket slowly. The door handle clicked and snapped Levi back from his thinking. His eyes darted to the door as it was pushed open. Hanji's head peeked out, her brown eyes studying him.

"Are you decent?" She joked.

"Not like you wouldn't come in anyway." Levi mumbled.

Hanji hummed and smiled, shutting the door behind her gently. The first thing Hanji noticed was the broken glass that littered the floor. She gingerly stepped around them, pretending not to notice it. 

"For a second I thought you were Erwin."

"Does that mean you're happy to see me?" Hanji grinned. 

"I guess in a way it does." He sighed. "How you been, shitty glasses?"

"Pretty lonely without you around, shorty." 

Levi scoffed. "I bet that castle looks titan shit." Hanji laughed, her head thrown back slightly. 

"It's not THAT bad; and Titans can't take a shit Levi. They don't have the necessary body or-"

"I got it, I got it." Levi cut her off, his hand coming up to dismiss her explanation.

The two sat in comfortable silence, simply enjoying the others company. Levi never admitted it, but he actually somewhat liked having Hanji around. She was hard to talk to, but she was loyal and nothing he said to her was ever spread anywhere else. She could be serious and reasoning and incredibly intelligent, but she could also light up the mood just by smiling. Levi considered her a close friend. And he was glad she was here instead of Erwin. 

"There's a reason why I came, Levi. You might already know what it is." She admitted.

The raven looked at his hands twirled in the blanket. Of course he knew. He spent the past two weeks fretting about it. 

"When is it?" He mumbled.

"In 5 days." 

Levi's jaw clenched, his hands tightening like a coiled snake around the cloth. His head dropped low enough for his hair to fall over his eyes, shielding Hanji from seeing his deadly glare.

"Levi," Hanji cooed softly. "It'll be ok." In a way, Hanji understood why he was so angry. But she wanted him to say it out loud, because she wanted him to admit it. 

"No it's not." He growled. "Erwin's twisting her into his fucking game. Everything to him is just a pawn, and now he's gone and turned her into another bishop. This entire world is a chessboard to him."

"But he knows how to play it well, and if you give him the chance to show you what he can do with these pawns I think you'll-"

"I don't want to see her suffer that way!" Levi snapped, his eyes meeting Hanjis. The woman flinched softly at his rising tone, but stood her ground none the less. Levi was quiet for a second. Hanji let the silence settle. 

"I try not to get too attached to things. Not after . . . but this time I let it happen. I don't know where she came from, or why we haven't seen more of her kind, but something's telling me that she's not meant to be caged like us. She has wings to fly away, and I don't think I could bear seeing Erwin pull another bird out of the sky." Levi mumbled.

"You don't know what it was like out there, Hanji. Everything was . . . Beautiful. Did you know there are wild horses outside the walls? I guess they're leftovers from failed expeditions that never found their riders. There were giant forests filled with animals nobody's ever seen before. I saw rolling hills and grassy plains that waved in the wind. I saw the ocean."

Hanji gasped loudly, her hand coming up to slap on the bed. Her eyes were wide with the excitement of a child. "You saw it? It's real?" 

Levi nodded. "It's amazing. It's so big, and there's this huge stretch of land bordering it that gives away under your feet when you walk on it. But it was sturdy at the same time. The water was wild like an untamed horse. It rose up like a hill and then crashed onto the land. It's so blue, almost like it reflects the sky."

Hanji listened intently, her brain greedily soaking in every word. Levi went silent, his eyes trained on his hands again.

"I wish those two could have seen it with me." He mumbled to himself. The brunettes smile faded sympathetically. 

"The outside world is more than we thought it could be. It's huge and undiscovered but that's not how it is for ________. She can see it all and explore it and live it. And I don't want to take that away from her. Somehow, she clawed her way to the top. I know it. I could see it when we would explore the plains. I could feel it when she would shield me from a titans sight. She's meant to fly Hanji," Levi looked up at the squad leader. "And it's not with us." 

Hanji sighed and nodded her understanding. It took a lot for Levi to reveal everything he just said. She didn't think he would ever open up like that to anyone.

"Are you going soft on me, shorty?" Hanji smiled, chuckling when Levi scowled.

"But to be serious, I get it. And I'm so glad that you got to experience the outside world like that. It must have been incredible."

Levi nodded. "It was."

Hanji sighed and stood up, her hands slapping to her sides. "Well, I'm going to get back to HQ, I got shit to do." 

"I hope that shit to do involves cleaning your shit." He added.

The brunette chuckled under her breath and smiled at him. "I'll add it to the list. As soon as you're better, I wanna hear more about the outside world. So hurry up and come back to the front lines, will ya?" 

The ghost of a smile poked at Levi's lips. "Sure thing shitty glasses. See you around."

"See ya'" the door shut behind her, plunging Levi into silence once more.

\----------

. . . Seriously?

_________ looked down her nose at the muzzle around her mouth, her eyebrow cocked disapprovingly. 

'This is like the fifth time I've had this thing on. It's like they're asking me to break out of it.'

She was back in the cell. Well, not her old cell. A new one. The dragon had succeeded to bring her old cell crumbling down to the ground. Now, that wing of cells was completely off limits and abandoned.

Heh, oops.

This time, a muzzle was strapped to her head, and her wings were bound. A cuff on both front paws around the shin was attached to a chain which in turn was bolted into the wall. She could walk a little, but she couldn't get to the bars. 10 guards stood outside her cage. 5 watched her warily, while the other 5 stood guard in case the first 5 failed to do their job. She snarled at a particularly jumpy cadet; obviously new. The boys hand flinched for his 3DMG blades. 

She knew why she was being kept here. And she only stayed because there was a mention of Levi. He would come and break her out, she knew it. This trial meant nothing to her. All she wanted was to be reunited with Levi. He said he would see her tomorrow, which meant he was going to come, right? The only thing she could do was wait. Dropping into a curled position, the dragon huffed as she wrapped her tail around her paws and spread the black fin at the end to cover her eyes. That night, she dreamed of a day when she and her best friend could journey the world together.

 

And large piles of trout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Just as a reminder, there won't be a chapter next week and probably the week after. I'm so sorry. I will TRY to get a chapter out on the 28th but I can't make any promises. 
> 
> Please let me know how I'm doing and how I can do better! I'm happy to answer any questions or just feedback in general.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the love and support, we are at 97 kudos! That's a big number for me, and I'm happy to see that people are like "this deserves a kudos"
> 
> Merry Christmas to all :) I hope you all have a wonderful next two weeks, and i wish the best holiday season to all of you!


	21. Chains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since its Christmas, I decided to scrape together enough time for a chapter! There won't be a Sunday chapter, this is just to tide y'all over until the new year. Happy reading :)

Those sweet dreams never came.

Desperate roars and growls echoed throughout the stone halls. The guards fled, their ears bursting from the pitch. The dragon was left on her own, writhing on the floor and calling out in her sleep.

_She was back in the small room, a hard and smooth material lining every wall, floor and ceiling. Strong metallic cuffs pinned her body to the cold floor. Feet appeared in her blurred vision, and with them a hand that held the thing she feared most._

The chains rattled violently against every strain and jerk.

_The serum leeched slowly into her throat. Pain surged up and down her spine, it's icy claws digging into every nerve._

Her eyes scrunched tightly as her mouth parted and out burst another desperate cry.

_The man stepped away from her trembling form, mumbling incoherently to himself. The footsteps receded from view, disappearing behind a heavy door that slammed closed. The fluorescent lights were shut off. They would come back later to see if she was dead. They always did._

****************

5 days came and went anything but slowly. Everyone had been extremely quiet, for the exception of small words exchanged between higher ups. Training had been cancelled. Meals were eaten in silence. An eerie feeling hung in the air. Unexplainable, but in a simple word, tense.

The survey corps newest battle was a touchy subject, and often had many arguments and theories behind it. It all depended on where you were. In Sina, they were convinced that this was the suicide corps newest strategy to overthrow the government. In Rose, the news was merely dinner table talk, with many opinions, but most of them siding with the corps. In Maria, it was an ingenious plan. Erwin Smith had done it again, as they all said.

But no matter their opinions, it all came down to one; Zackleys. And they would hear it soon

Soft mumbling filled the courtroom. Soldiers from all three branches stood in their designated positions. Some looked around nervously, while others glared at anyone that made eye contact with them. Far too soon, it seemed, Zackley appeared at the front of the room and cleared his voice. The mumbling ceased immediately.

"Bring it in." He commanded. The double doors at the far end of the room burst open. The dragon accompanied by Levi as well as 10 MPs walked into the room. The animal looked around, her eyes narrowed slightly. A gun barrel pressed into the back of her neck lightly. She growled, turning her head back slightly but continued on. As they approached the middle of the room, It became clear where the dragon would stand for the hearing.

Chains attached to four metal cuffs were bolted to the floor in the middle of the courtroom. Levi layed a hand on her hide comfortingly as the MPs began to attach the cuffs to her paws. When it was done, Levi held her head between his hands and nodded to her. She returned the gesture with a low warble, watching the short man walk to the survey corps side of the room. He took his place between Erwin and Hanji, signaling the beginning of the trial.

"Well then," Zackley called, his voice gruff. "Let us begin. This is _______, yes?"

"Yes sir." Erwin replied.

Zackley studied her for a moment, tilting his head slightly. "A dragon. Something humankind is not familiar with. And you bring it here before me, asking for its position in your military, correct?"

"Yes sir." Erwin replied again.

"Very well. The final decision is entirely mine. Keeping the dragons existence under the rug has proved impossible. In a way, that's good, but it may cause problems. We have to make her public in some way, or a threat other than Titans may arise in the walls. Military police, I ask for your proposal."

Nile nods, and stretches a piece of paper in front of him. "A thorough investigation was done of the damage she has caused this far. Many charges against her including Arson, kidnapping, and attempted murder, have led us to believe that she is a critical threat to humanity, and must be killed immediately. It's true that she fought alongside soldiers during the fall of wall Maria. However, she has proven herself to be unstable and uncontrollable and therefor must be eliminated."

Nile looked over at Levi, who was leaned against the wooden bar separating the dragon from the rest of the court. Levi's eyes darkened as he swung his bandaged leg behind his uninsured one.

Pastor Nicks mumbling from across the court became audible. "She's a Devils child, sent here to destroy us from the inside out. They're in on it, they want to see us fall. She's a-"

"Pastor Nick," Zackley called. "Order please. We'll hear the Survey Corps proposal next."

Erwin nodded and addressed himself. "We would welcome ________ as an official member of our forces and use her abilities to retake wall Maria, as well as a weapon against the Titans for years to come."

Levi's head turned to glare at Erwin, who payed no attention. "That's it?" He growled.

"That's all?" Zackley asked, his tone almost displeased.

"Yes sir. With her abilities, we can retake wall Maria with minimum casualties."

"I see," Zackley hummed. "And where do you plan to begin this mission?"

"Under captain Levi's watch and command, she would be placed directly across the break in shiganshina. She would act as a barrier between us and the Titans while we reconstruct the gate. From there, she will be a main part of eliminating Titans in the shiganshina territory until we reconstruct the wall Maria gate." He concluded.

"Wait!" A merchant next to pastor nick brought his hands down on the wooden knee fence.  
"Shouldn't we seal the walls gates once and for all?"

"You traitor! Damage the walls that were brought to us by God himself?!" Pastor nick shouted at the merchant. The two battled back and forth until Zackleys hand slammed on the table, a wave of silence crossing the room.

"Order. I have to ask something," he looked back at _________. "Can you use your abilities to protect humanity? To fight alongside comrades?"

The dragon hesitated, mulling the question over. In the beginning, all she wanted was her freedom. Even now, she craves it. She yearns for the ocean breeze rolling over her wings. For the rough grassy plains of late summer brushing her hide. The crisp cold air of winter encasing her form as she flew over mountains of snow. But now, something tied her to the walls. Something she never had before. Family. A delicacy she never had, and now, it was right in front of her. A place of acceptance where she felt like she belonged. And she couldn't turn it down.

She dipped her head confidently, her gaze meeting Zackleys. The man hummed to himself.

"But the report from an incident a few weeks ago says this," he picked up a document from the table in front of him."Shortly after disappearing from the battle of Wall Maria, the dragon was discovered in what seemed to be a blind rage killing Titans outside of Trost district. When approached by captain Levi, she turned on him and attacked him with the intent to kill, severely injuring him and his savior, Mike Zacharius." He removed the paper from his view and set it down, folding his hands.

The dragons ears drooped slowly, her eyebrows rising and falling in confusion as she stared at her paws.

"You do remember that, don't you?" Zackley called. She raised her black head slightly, avoiding the Survey Corps stares.

"It appears that she doesn't remember parts of it. Let's walk you through it then, shall we?" He grunted.

"You were found attacking Titans, do you remember this?" She shook her head after a few seconds. Zackley sniffed.

"Captain Levi tried to calm you down but you turned on him, do you recall that?" He asked. Another head shake.

"________, do you remember attacking and attempting to kill Captain Levi?" He asked, leaning forward slightly in his seat. Her ears drooped as her head cowered. She shook her head, resulting in resounding murmurs around the room.

" _She doesn't know when she's in a rage like that?"_

_"She could do it again, and nobody could stop her!"_

_"She must be killed immediately."_

Her nose pressed to the floor in shame. Her ears pinned themselves against the hide of her neck to block out the voices.

Nile raised his hand from the MPs side of the room."I wish to add to my proposal." Zackley nodded, and the man continued.

"In our investigation, it was discovered that she injured three civilians and killed one during the fire she caused in her first escape. Is it right to even think about trusting humanities fate, resources and lives to her?" He questioned, his gaze flickering to the now trembling animal in the middle of the room. The mumbling rose up again. Levi and Erwin exchanged a quick look as they listened to the voices.

" _He's right, shes a monster!"_

_"What is Erwin thinking?"_

_"Why don't they just kill her now!"_

_"It's all part of a plan, a plan to overthrow the government, to destroy humanity from the inside out!"_

_"The entire corps is in on it, I know it."_

_"Levi's probably in on it too, we should have him tried for treason!"_

The dragon bolted up and roared loudly, windows shattering around them. Her paws slammed onto the tile. A wave of cracking tile shot out from underneath her paws. She looked around, her chest heaving with steamy breaths. Her narrowed cobalt eyes fell on Nile. The commander tensed, his eyes widening.

"Rifles ready!" He called. Two soldiers to his left cocked their rifles and pointed the barrels at her head. _________ growled lowly and tensed her shoulders.

"Enough. I've made my decision." Zackley called out. The room fell silent as the man sat up in his seat.

"Nobody gets the dragon." Confused murmurs were quickly silenced as he continued. "I want her carried beyond the walls and set free." Quickly silenced cheers from the MPs drowned out gasps that resounded around the room. "It's too much of a risk to take. The Survey Corps has temporary custody over her until the release date. Court dismissed."

Nile eyed Erwin with a soft smirk, following his soldiers out of the room. It wasn't long before almost the entire room was cleared out. Erwin, Hanji, Levi, and Mike were the only ones left.  
The four approached the dragon, who still stood, glaring up at the judges stand. Levi and Mike uncuffed her paws in silence.

"We almost had it." Hanji murmured from behind her hand.

"We should have had it." Levi snapped, ripping a chain out of the floor and flinging it across the room.

"Why didn't you say anything else?" Levi growled, turning back to Erwin. "You could have said something. Either you were too slow or you didn't have anything to say, and neither of those sound like you. Why'd you do it?"

Mike sniffed. "Who's side are you on, Levi?" The short man whipped around to face him. 

"Back and forth between us and her. Her freedom and your own selfish desires. Pick a side." Mike finished, crossing his arms. 

"I- . . . I don't fucking know!" He threw his hands up. 

"Then decide." Erwin ordered. Levi stopped and met the blondes cold gaze with a glare of his own. The Raven turned on his heel and rushed out of the courtroom.

"Levi," Hanji called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Mind your own fucking business. Don't you have a child to dissect." He snapped. ________ nudged Erwin's hand softly, her hot breath tickling his palm. The blonde watched her eye Hanji sadly before darting after Levi. The door slammed behind the two, leaving the trio alone.

Levi walked out of the courtroom and into the fading daylight. _______ padded out after him, the sunlight bouncing off of her black hide. Without a second thought, Levi climbed onto her neck and pressed his heels lightly.

Today couldn't get any shittier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.  
> So I realized a while ago that everything I wrote in bold or Italics in the last few chapters is in fact NOT in bold or italics when I uploaded it which makes parts of the dialogue look stupid.  
> Forgive that.  
> I will make changes to fix that in the future. 
> 
> I want to thank you all so much for over 2000 views and 103 kudos! It means so much to me that you all enjoy this story.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions, and crit! I love reading them and I'm always happy to answer anything!
> 
> That's all for today. Again, thank you all so much! Merry Christmas to all, and a safe and happy new year as well!


	22. Heart Of Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Woof, all the craziness of boxes and packing and unpacking, and suddenly it's January 4th X.X my how time flies. So here I sit at 3 am when I'm supposed to be sleeping, uploading a chapter so I don't forget. Not particularly in love with this chapter, but I guess filler chapter have to come at some point. Anyway, enjoy.

The release date was set for one month after the trial date. December 14th. The days leading up to it were far too fat for Levi's comfort. It seemed to be so far away, but he realized that the closer they got to it, the less he wanted to fall asleep at night. Dr.Fitz gave him the all clear to go on the release expedition, but asked that he stayed hospitalized for two weeks after the trial to monitor his health.

He got out three days ago. 

Levi had 14 short days to spend time with one of the only real friends he'd ever come to have. Lucky for him, today was a day off. Unlucky for him, shitty brows grounded him. Literally. He wasn't allowed to fly. Levis little storm off after the trial lasted for a good ten hours. Ten hours spent worrying that the two had gone off on another week long adventure and would have to be dragged back again. To keep it from happening again, Erwin banned his flying privileges for the day. But that didn't mean that just because Levi couldn't fly, that _________ couldn't. 

Crumbling and decayed leaves rained down from the sky. A hand perched on his hip, the short man thought for a second.

"Left a little." He hollered, curling his brown coat around him tighter. A second shower of leaves came down a little farther than the first time. Levi nodded softly in approval. What was Levi's favorite thing to do? Well, since he adopted a dragon, it was to fly. But his second favorite thing to do was cleaning. Which is exactly what ________ was doing to the gutters. He discovered a while ago that her fan-like tail was excellent at shoveling leaves out of the gutter. 

It's a long story that ended with Levi falling off of ________, a missing rake, and a broken gutter. 

________ peered at him from the rooftop, a sharp, steamy exhale clouding her face in the cold. 

"Yeah you're done." He assured, turning on his heel with a light limp in his step. A heavy thump followed by brief padding and she was right next to him as he walked. Levi walked a little closer to the animal, digging his hands into his pockets. He could feel a faint, warm heat radiating off of her black hide. She was like a personal space heater. 

"What do you say to a walk? I don't really feel like seeing eyebrows or shitty glasses right now." Levi asked, looking off to his left for a route. ________, unsure, narrowed her eyes slightly in worry. 

"My legs fine," He growled, pushing his chin into the collar of his coat. "Let's go." 

He hobbled left, ________ following obediently. The two walked for a while, the dragon occasionally draping a warm wing around Levi when she noticed him shuddering slightly. Her help was usually never protested or shoved away, but she still felt wary of pushing it to far. Eventually, the duo reached wall rose, a fair walk away from HQ.

Levi walked up to the wall and traced his hand down the cold stone. The familiar feeling of dread bubbled up somewhere in his core. There were once people behind those walls, and now, there were only Titans. ________ walked up beside him, her ears perking at the wall. Heavy footsteps could be heard toddling around somewhere in the depths of what used to be wall Maria. Levi turned away from the wall. He had to get away before his nightmares returned. He hadn't had any in two weeks, after all. A new record. When he noticed ________ didn't follow, he rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's get back. I can feel the shit freezing inside of me," He called, turning around.

________ stared at the wall. Brow furrowed, Levi hobbled closer. ________ held her head a little higher than usual. Soft humming pulsed from the vibrating plates around her jaw. Her pupils had been reduced to thin slits as she stared blankly at the wall. Levi tensed, his fists curling in a white knuckle grip around his coat. He memorized this stare. He raised a fist, planning to collide it with the side of her face. 

Before Levi could do anything else, the dragon shook her head wildly and closed her eyes, reopening them with normal sized black orbs in a sea of blue. She looked off for a second, before returning her attention to Levi as if nothing happened. Her orbs darted to his raised hand, jolting back with a surprised whirr. Levi narrowed his eyes softly.

"Let's go." He commanded, walking off. Hesitant, she followed him obediently, yet stayed a few paces behind. 

\---------------------------------------------------

Hanji sat back in her chair, tilting it slightly on its creaking legs. Soft mumbling poured from her mouth as she stared at the cracking ceiling. This happened whenever she had a thought or prediction. If you stuck a random soldier in the room with her, they would think she was speaking an entirely different language. But everyone who knew her knew it was just, as they called it, "Hanji-talk". Her door slammed open with a bang. 

"Hanji- "I KNEW IT!" The brunette pointed wildly as her chair slid out from under her with a crash. She popped up from behind her desk, glasses slightly askew. 

"Levi!" The raven started back out the door. 

"I've made a mistake." He murmured. Hanji stood quickly, readjusting her glasses. 

"Noooo! Leevvviiiii! Come baaaack!" She called.

A loud sigh followed by thumping footsteps echoed from the hall. Levi closed the door behind him and approached her desk.

"Something's up with _______." 

"And with you. Nerves over the release?" Hanji commented jokingly. Levi's head dropped slightly to the left in frustration.

"Maybe you'd know if you'd stop spewing shit like Erwin after your mushroom soup experiment." Hanjis fists slammed on the table, one hand darting up to point straight at Levi.

"That was a DAMN GOOD idea! Just think," Her hands waved around as if following her speech,"If we could make food out of things as common as mushrooms, it would be a massive breakthrough for the hungry!" 

The raven grunted softly and approached her desk. "Maybe. But not those mushrooms, that's for damn sure." He rubbed his stomach softly, eyes glazing over in memory. 

"Yeah. Not those." She agreed, cringing softly. "So what brings you to my humble abode?"

"More like shit filled cave, but whatever works for you," He waved his hand, sighing. "_______ was acting up earlier. I didn't like the face she made."

"Levi," Hanji sighed, plopping into her now stood up chair. "You don't like the face ANYONE makes." 

"Just let me finish!" He snapped. Hanji rested her chin in her hands, staring at Levi expectantly. 

Levi told her about the walk. "It was like something just triggered it. Like she could just turn on me at any second. I almost punched her for it." He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. 

"Hm," She pushed her glasses farther up her nose. "And you said you were at the wall? Like directly in front of it?" Levi nodded. Hanji was silent for a good few minutes, a silence Levi didn't disturb. This usually meant that Hanji was thinking and prodding every detail she was given. 

"I wonder," she mumbled, ducking under her desk. A drawer being opened followed by heavy shuffling resonated from her desk. She popped back up, a paper in her hand. "Levi, you said it was as if she was triggered?" Her eyes greedily searched the document. 

"Yeah." He confirmed, his brow raising at her paper.

"Hm. Alright. Is that all?" She asked, throwing the paper back into the drawer. 

"Yeah. That's it," Levi gestured to her desk. "What have you got in Pandora's Box that you're not telling me about?" 

Hanji waved him off. "All in good time, shorty." Levi narrowed his eyes at the nickname, pushing off of the wall. 

"I'm going back to check on her. I'll let you know if anything else happens." He tell her, walking through the door. Hanji noted his soft limp. One that he tried - and failed - to hide. 

"Sounds like a plan to me, go get em' shorty!" She called jokingly, sighing when no reply came. Typical Levi.

Within seconds, a quill was placed neatly between her fingers, printing quickly written notes on a heavily regarded sheet. When she finished, she ducked down to the drawer she opened previously. Drawings of the dragon mixed with papers that held only a few words of information spilled out as she crammed the sheet inside.

"First the nightmares, and now this," she hummed, kicking the drawer shut. She shook her head and smiled to herself. "What are you hiding from me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope it wasn't TOO horribly bad. Let me know what you jus think!
> 
> I love feedback! Feel free to send me a message :) 
> 
> Thank you all for so much for the support! I never imaged it would be this big. 
> 
> That's all for this week, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and an awesome new year! I'm curious, did anyone have resolutions for the new year? Feel free to share! Have an awesome week, until next Sunday, TOODLES!


	23. New Mission

Glittering orange, pink, and yellow hues danced on his skin. All the clouds in the sky mirrored the magnificent colors proudly. Levi moved his hand to block a bit of the last rays of sun, gazing blankly at the highlighted ruins of wall Maria. Hundreds of buildings sat like downed birds. Torn apart, stepped on, destroyed. Titans of all sizes toddled around, searching for people amongst the rubble. Levi knew there were none. They had eaten any survivors already.

50 meters below him, an aberrant watched him hungrily, a sick smile forever printed onto its disgusting face. Levi knew that even if that Titan were to eat him right now, he would not be its first. After the fall of Maria, survivors stuck in the rubble tried to tough their way through. They scavenged amongst the remaining houses for leftover food. Fires were built for warmth, smokey pillars towering into the sky. Levi heard their screams of horror when they were found for weeks after the fall. He felt their pain, his own heart clenching with every cry abruptly cut off.

The captain pushed it away. He looked back on the horizon, the light fading significantly since he last looked. The sunset of December 13th. Who knew he would come to dread seeing it? He knew that sleep would not reach him tonight. His breakfast wouldn't be touched in the morning. He wondered if he would have felt like this if he knew Isabel and Farlan were going to die. The dread, the heartache, It almost wasn't fair. No, it wasn't fair at all. How much more was he going to loose?

He remembered having to explain everything to _______. All the snarls, the bite marks she almost gave him, defiant stomps of her feet and sneers, all demanding she didn't leave his side. It touched him. Something was dedicated to him for the first time in a long time. She reminded him somewhat of Isabel, of course with no offense to her memory. ________ was loyal and determined, goofy and at times even noble. She brought him a comfortable joy. The more he was around the dragon, the more he realized that animals were ten times easier to bond with. But ten times harder to give up.

He thought of himself as stupid and naive. Getting attached to a mere pet like a small child? Pathetic. He didn't even feel any emotions towards his horse, who he had for his past few years in the corps. If it fell over dead tomorrow, not a single tear would be shed. He would simply have it buried and search for a new one. But maybe, just maybe, the problem is that _______ isn't just a pet. She became a friend. Though incapable of speech and non human, she was still a friend.

Standing from the wall, Levi retrieved his gear controls from their holsters and leapt into Wall Rose. The bitter wind growled at him as he plummeted. Grappling hooks shot out from his sides and slammed into a grove of trees.

 

Ah, how foolish. If only he'd known sooner.

 

                     --------------------------------------------------------

 

A cold wind bit at every soldiers nose, driving flurries into their coats. It circled around every horse, every cart, every being, reminding them just how powerless they were to the commands of nature. The sky was grey and solemn. It was as if the world around them sensed what was coming. Levi kept his dead stare on the snow covered path before them. His eyes were trained on the road, but his mind wandered, thoughts flitting to and from, carried off by the wind to be replaced with more worry.

His mask stayed strong. His composure was kept. Even as the snow gained power. Even as Titans thundered from the depths of the white world, he would not break. He would not allow himself to break. It was not his place. He was a pillar of hope and strength. At least, that's what they all said.

Every familiar beat of wings not too far behind, every flake on his cheek, every cry from a horse in the distance, it was all a reminder. How strong he was. How strong he was not. How far he had come and how far he still had yet to go. And how far he would have to go without the help of his friend. How many battles he would fight, how many nights he would jerk from his sleep, tears rolling down his porcelain cheeks as he lie in a pool of sweat. He would not know. He refused to accept it, but somewhere inside, he knew he had to. He always had to. And he always did.

A gust of wind circled around his body, penetrating his coat and curling around his skin. But he did not feel it. Where others shivered, he did not. He was slightly ashamed of himself. Giving in so easily to the forced friendship between him and _______. He should have known better, listened to the past, listened to Farlan and Isabel. Never get attached, feel nothing, show nothing. Be strong, even when others fail to be. Be brave, even when you have to take the lead. And yet, every barrier was torn down. He allowed them to be. He was never interested in love, he was never allowed to be. He didn't care for a significant other.

He only knew the close boundaries of a tight knit friendship, of a clan of few, all warriors in their own way. He knew the wary feeling of a new friend. He knew the warmth in his heart when they would smile, or laugh, or joke. He knew the gut puncturing feeling of loosing them in a matter of seconds. Oh, all to well he knew that feeling. And here he was, feeling it again. It's been far too short of a time span between now and the last time he felt this way.

Ah how the world loved to punish him.

His horse halted with the others, steaming breaths rolling off of his muzzle to be carried away with the snow. Levi hopped off and brushed snow off of his coat. He pulled the collar up to his chin despite not feeling the cold. It was more for emotional comfort than physical. The dragon dropped to the ground a few meters ahead. Her ears drooped sadly, her wings tucking lazily.

Survey corps members gathered in the snow covered field, creating an unintentional circle around the higher ups. Hanji and Mike stood nearby, nodding to Erwin as the blonde approached Levi. Levi couldn't even glare. _______ hung her head, cobalt stare trained on the snow. Erwin muttered something he didn't quite catch, but he nodded anyway. Erwin began a simple speech he prepared for _______, going on for a while about he thanked her for her cooperation, even though it was dished in incredibly small amounts.

The speech was over far too soon. It was time to say their goodbyes. Levi removed his right glove, his hand reaching out to her neck for the last time. His fingers grazed over the rough scales, bumping slightly as they ran over grooves and gouges from previous conflict. His hand raised, tracing the scar over her right eye. His gut clenched as his palm brushed the gouge. Returning his glove back to his hand, he held her head between his hands. Her head raised to look at him, blue eyes glazed over with forming tears. Who knew a dragon could cry?

"________," He mumbled. He sucked in a shaking breath that he hoped to Sina nobody heard. "Like we discussed. You can't stay anymore. They don't trust you like we did. Like we still do."

A tear dribbled down from her left eye, the wind carrying it away. "Thank you." He mumbled, "You're free now."

He stepped back, boots crunching in the ankle deep snow. She stood still, flakes collecting on her hide. She looked around, at every soldier. Young and old, veterans and new recruits. People she had come to know, and those she had never seen. All of them held themselves with a certain proudness she only hoped to accomplish. Even against the freezing air, they suppressed shudders and sniffs.

The dragons eyes fell on Hanji, who wiped away a tear and waved with a forced smile. Mike sniffed. Some form of sad smile pulled at her lips as she flicked an ear. She turned, meeting Levi's stoic gaze. Holding tears, she stepped forward and dipped her nose to the snow.

_I was given a mission. To leave, and never return. To ditch the memories of the past and look forward to a new future. A lonely future, but a new one at that. I was handed a home, a family, a friend. My mission is to leave it all behind, for the good of humanity. This is my mission. I shall complete it._

Seconds went by before she spread her wings, magnificent black against the pure white. She leapt off the ground, climbing the sky. Levi watched her until the last of her tail disappeared into the clouds. Erwin patted Levi's shoulder as he crunched back to his horse, others doing the same. The Captain walked to where she stood. The snow grew heavier by the minute, covering the tracks almost seamlessly. He bent down, shuffling the snow away with his hand as he reached into the track. He opened his hand, gazing down at the black scale. Levi placed it into his breast pocket with care, buttoning it tightly. He returned to his horse and hopped on. He stayed silent for a minute, looking around the area.

With lead in his heart, he turned his horse back to the others and spurred the animal. He galloped away from the field, away from the snow, away from his best friend.

_Make me proud, Levi. I believe in you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if I made you cry lmao. 
> 
> I love feedback! Feel free to leave a comment or kudos, Im open to critisism and advice! 
> 
> That's all for this week, thank you all for the continued support :) see you all next Sunday.


	24. The Beast Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters a little short just because I didn't have a lot of time this week. Next weeks chapter might be just as short because guess who has finals this week? Excuse me while I go sob in the corner.

The dragon flapped her wings to slow down as she touched to the ground. Immediately, her legs buckled out from underneath her. Tears soaked the chilly grass that cradled her heavy head. She had been flying for hours. No idea where she was supposed to go, what to do. She just had to get away. Stubborn tears blurred her vision. Frustrated, she angrily smeared her face in the grass.

A pitiful wail left her throat as she swung her head backwards. Taking to the skies once more, she forced her exhausted body to continue its directionless journey. Behind her, where she stood only seconds before, the ground began to catch fire and burn. A threatening rumble echoed from below the surface.

                                ---------------------------------------------

Levi's chin was perched lamely in his propped up hand. The quill in his right hand had been long dropped and rolled away, leaving behind a faint trail of ink across the paper. Ah yes, the famed "Humanities Strongest" had fallen asleep at his desk. Somewhere in between the Death certificates and polishing off daily squad reports, exhaustion kicked in.

" _leeEEEEEEVviiiiIIIIII_!!!" A voice hollered from the other side of his door.The door opened slowly, Hanji peeking around the corner. Her shoulders slumped as she studied his position. Strolling to his seat with a sly grin on her face, she yanked his propped elbow to the side. Levi's head immediately fell with a CRACK to the wooden desk. The Raven bolted upright and clutched his forehead with a yowl.

"LETS GO CAPN' SHORT STACK! UP AND AT'EM!" She shouted, dodging a foot swiped at her kneecap.

His deadly glare peeked at her from behind his strained fingers. "Hanji-" 

"Levi, you can't keep yourself awake over this! You need to get out, get some fresh air, go ride a horse!" She urged, parting the dark curtains on his office window. Levi, cringing at the bright sun, sighed heavily.

"I'm not-"

"You are."

"Hanji I-"

"Levi you can't-"

"GOD DAMNIT WOMAN LET ME FINISH." Hanji huffed and crossed her arms impatiently.

"I'm fine. Will you all just leave me the hell alone over this?" Levi's tired gaze could no longer hold its icy glare.

It had been over a month since the release of the Survey Corps "weapon of war". Since then, Levi found himself face to face with sleepless nights and way too much time on his hands. When he wasn't trying to get a decent night of sleep, he was working. And working, and working. So much so that he had begun to search for things to do when all his paperwork was finished. His office was spotless, as were the surrounding corridors. The cadets had become wary of his unstable situation so he wasn't bothered by them. Any remaining restlessness was taken out on his unfortunate squad by increasing their training hours.

Petra, in an attempt to calm him down (she hates these extra training hours) had begun to bring him chamomile tea in the afternoons. But since Levi didn't know what chamomile tea was he just assumed it was shitty town tea. Hanji began slipping a tiny bit of sleeping medication into the drinks to give them an extra boost. And judging by the state she found him in, it was working. Levi kept insisting that he was fine. After all, to him, he was just trying to get back into his old habits. There was nothing wrong with a little routine.

"Levi," she began, plopping into the chair across from his desk. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that there's something wrong. Maybe if you say something then the rest of us will be able to help you."

Levi ignored her, instead restarting his quill to the ink pot and restarting his assignment.

"I know it's hard for you to loose things. Especially people that you grow close too. I know how close you two were in the end but if you don't let us help you cope then it'll just hurt you. Isabel and Farlan wouldn't want yo-"

The quill scratched across the page, ripping it almost in two. " _GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"_ He bellowed.

Hanji, a little red in the face from being yelled at, sighed heavily. Levi waited for the door to shut behind her before he got up and locked it. He returned to his desk and dropped into the chair, burying his head into his arms.

"You don't know a damn thing about what they would want."

                                         -------------------------------

________ dipped her nose into a crystal clear lake, taking a few generous gulps of the cold liquid. She shook her head clear of the water as she pulled away. Her own reflection caught her eye. She looked rougher than she did before. Faint dirt and fresh scratches littered her body. She was also a little leaner. Lifting a wing, she studied her sunken frame. She certainly looked wild again. Untamable, even.

But wasn't that far from the truth? Untamable. She was about as easy to break as a twig. So obedient and loyal, she sickened herself. The indestructible force of nature she thought herself to be was long torn down by mankind. As powerful as a lightning storm, but as fierce and frightening as a goldfish. Disgusting.

Being back in the wild, she was determined to rebuild her name. She would spend days upon days tracking an old animal scent. Training herself, preparing herself. She wouldn't stop until she found the animal and killed it with her bare paws. The game of the kill became a past time for her, a disgusting thrill from the final breath and fresh scent of spilled blood. It's funny how a little touch of fresh air triggers something inside a beast. The promise of freedom in a single whiff, sending the receiver a wave of bottomless power and energy.

But even as she would stare down at the new carcass, blood and organs spilling onto the ground, she felt no satisfaction. No pride gained from a successful hunt. She would just turn away and flee, no longer hungry enough to tear into the warm flesh. She wasn't the hunter she wanted to be. She was not the ruthless killer she was pinned to be. She was nothing but a glorified bag of heat and hide.

And yet, she kept on. She kept killing. She continued to force herself to the hunt. Somewhere inside her, she was convinced that if she tried hard enough, she could awaken the beast. There had to be more. This couldn't be it. The life of loneliness was too much.

In the distance, a particularly large titan hobbled through the grassy plain, it's short arms held out for balance. A strong pulse pounded in her chest with every breath. Muscles rippled underneath toned black hide. Her claws unsheathed as her tail lashed out, the fins at the end spreading with a snap.

_There has to be more._

                                                --------------------------

Hanjis goggles fogged, her controlled but suspenseful breathing hot against her face. Sweat foamed on her brow as she bent over the machine. Every so often, she would twist a knob and study her discovery. She designed it herself, a special device that allows her to see even the smallest objects in crystal clear view.

The scale she placed underneath the device showed nothing of interest. Not even a gouge. Just a single, perfect black scale. Sitting back from the machine, she banged her fist on the table in frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh. Not that great. These boring chapters come along every now and then. I would imagine that nothing exciting would happen after a sad moment, right? 
> 
> I love feedback! Go ahead and leave crit or suggestions, or just a random comment. I love them all!
> 
> Wish me luck on those finals. Have a great week, everyone! See yall next Sunday :)


	25. Bloody Bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep uploading on Saturdays because sometimes I have the chapter done early so I post it before anything can happen to it xD which is a good thing I did, because as soon as I transferred the document to AO3 my computer deleted it completely (/0.0)/ anyway, enjoy!

Hanji swirled the vial in her hand delicately, the red liquid inside licking at the glass.

"You're all I've got left." She mumbled, brow furrowing at the blood.A fresh sample, taken with _______'s permission a day before the release. She had so many samples. But all of them came up with nothing. The blood she held in her hand was her last hope. Gently, she picked up a dropper, collecting a small amount of blood inside it and corking the vial. From there, she transferred the blood to a shot needle. A little mouse in a glass box on her desk squeaked.

"Hush." Hanji cooed, picking up the animal. "This will only hurt a little." She injected the blood into the mouse and put him back, closing the lid. She watched it scurry around, pressing its tiny nose into the small air holes in the side.

"I'll come back later, pet." She promised, hurrying over to her experimental corner.

Within seconds she had all of her necessary bottles on the desk, hands flying over each tool. With the dropper, she put a tiny drop of blood on a slide and clipped it onto the microscope table. She put her eye to the lens, adjusting and readjusting. Her brow furrowed.

"What is that . . ." She mumbled. Amidst the blood, a tiny black dot sat unmoving in the middle. But as she would attempt to poke it with the needle in her hand, it would move away. Terrified screeching made Hanji jump. She whipped around and looked at the mouse.

The tiny animal was foaming blue at the mouth, garbled squeaking erupting from its writhing body. Horrified, Hanji picked up a pencil and paper and tried to sketch what she was seeing. The mouse flung its body at the side of the glass cage and clawed furiously at the sides. It's body seemed to be twice as big and twice as powerful. The glass cracked underneath its tiny paw. Hanji picked up a notebook form her desk, holding it out to kill the mouse if it broke out. The mouse went still, falling back from the glass. Hanji rushed over to the box, peering in. It was dead. She backed up from the cage, her hands shivering.

"O-ok. That's new." She chuckled. She wrote down exact details of the incident and threw her notebook to the side. Returning to the microscope, she cleaned off the slide and restarted her experiment. She pushed everything to the side, keeping out only a beaker, a vial, and a few bottles.

~~~~Hanjis Experiment, feel free to skip. Not very important, but interesting.~~~~

In the beaker, Hanji measured out 20ml of water and then 1.5 grams of salt and let them sit in the beaker. The dragons blood was dropped in little by little until it was a creamy red. She studied the mixture for a second as she filled the sink with hot water.

Dipping the beaker in, she let the glass heat for about 15 minutes, and them pulled it out and dunked it in ice cold water. Walking back to her desk, she filtered the blood solution into a test tube. Her hand reached out for a tiny glass bottle on her desk.

"Proteinase K." She mumbled, dripping a small amount delicately into the blood.

Shortly after, soap was added to the mixture and stirred in. Hanji stood back and opened the cabinet under the desk. "The last ingredient." The brunette stood up with the bottle in her hand and poured a bit into the tube. She stood back and watched the stringy white material seep from the blood into the clear liquid standing above it.

~~~~End of experiment~~~~

"Perfect." Hanji whispered, dipping a stirring stick into the substance and gently pulling out a thick, gooey strand. She filled a small vial with alcohol and transferred the gooey substance to the vial, corking it off. She marveled at the gently swaying material in the clear liquid, smiling to herself softly.

"There's only one catch to this," She hummed as the glass swirled between her fingers.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do with this."

 

                  ------------------------------------------------------------

 

_Shut up._

_Just shut the fuck up._

_Is that too much to ask?_

_Or maybe your shit - stain sized brain can't process those two words._

_Maybe you need help understanding?_

Though his expression remained stoic, Levi's insides fumed. Sina was full of ignorant, money hoarding assholes who only thought about their next paycheck. Levi knew this. They hated people from outside Sina. They especially loathed criminals, ex or not. And they hated the military. The Survey Corps especially. He also knew that every decision the Corps made was frowned on regardless of its benefit or loss to humanity.

But this was just too far.

There they were. Standing outside of a nice cafe, a rather large man ran a thick hand through his mustache and watched his just-as-big friend underneath his thick brows.

"Dragons belong in fairy tails, not the walls. This nonsense has gone on for far too long. At least it's not here anymore. Damn thing should have been shot."

The other man hummed. "Since they're so worried about the starving refugees, they should have fed it to them. They'll eat anything after all. Disgusting pigs."The two chuckled heartily, hardly noticing the approaching footsteps.

Within seconds, the first man was on the ground, curled into a thick, moaning mess. His arm bent in an unnatural way and limply hung over his shaking torso. His friend suffered no better fate, the pole of an umbrella stand shoved up his shorts and holding him helplessly above the ground.

"Hope that pole up your ass pushes out a decent personality." Levi growled as he stalked away.

He hated Sina. He hated coming here on these stupid business trips that he swore Erwin organized just to make him mad. He hated the way the people looked at him, as if afraid ( _as they should be, in his opinion_ ) he would snap their necks if they walked incorrectly. He didn't always hate it, though. As a younger boy he dreamed of living up here with them. Eating sugar filled cakes with every meal, wearing luxuriously soft and well stitched clothing, and living in a warm home with running water.

But the more he was there, the more he hated the people. The personalities. The way of thinking. Didn't they know what was beyond the walls? You would think that being trapped inside a giant hole would make everyone closer. But Levi had never seen such a torn apart community.

Ah, none of that matters though.

He patted the left breast pocket of his jacket. Still there. He smiled briefly to himself as he felt the hard scale beneath the cloth. It had been so long. Almost a full six months. Time flew, and yet, it had never been slower. Life went on though. One expedition completed with no sightings of the dragon. Not that Levi was looking. The position of the sun in the sky told Levi that he was almost late for a meeting at the MP headquarters. Stupid MPs. With a sigh, he continued on.

The meeting was the usual brainless chatter. Recent corps activities, supplies count, budgets, the works. None of which Levi was interested in. By the time he got out, he was damn exhausted from having to resist kicking Nile in his stupid squirrel face. Apparently the strain was obvious since he got a praise from Erwin.

When they got back to their own headquarters, Hanji was waiting for him at his office door, knowing he would stop there before going to bed. Levi turned on his heel upon seeing her jittery figure and briskly made his way out of the hall.

"LEVI!" She screeched. Damn it. Not fast enough.

"Go away shitty glasses." He warned. Ignoring his threat, the brunette screeched to a halt in front of him with a jumble of papers in her hands.

"Levi you need to read these! This is incredible!" She pushed the documents onto his chest.

Levi stood rock still, glaring at her as the untouched papers drifted to his feet. "No."

Hanji whined and gathered the papers. "Levi do you even know what this is about?"

"No," he mumbled as he pushed past. "And I don't think I care."

"Levi you don't understand!" Hanji rushed to keep up with him. "Over the past few months I've done so many experiments and observed so many things. I know so much now that we didn't know before and I think we need to make this information public! But I need you to read it over and decide for yourself what you think is best to do."

Levi's eyes flicked at her momentarily. "What are you even talking about?"

"_________." At this, Levi stopped. Hanji smiled. Gotcha.

The Raven turned to her, his eyes flashing. "Show me."

Hanji brought Levi to her lab and showed him everything. Every drawing, every piece of information, all of her experiment results, everything. Levi was fascinated with the DNA, but disturbed the more she talked about the mouse.

"I left the mouse be for science reasons," she started.

_'I don't think "science reasons" qualifies as a valid reason, Hanji.'_

"And the more I came back to it, the more it changed. Within the first two weeks, the fur was gone. In three, the skin became dry and scaly. The tail got noticeably bigger and grew two hard plates at the base. The body didn't deteriorate, it didn't smell, it didn't even move. Until the sixth week when it came back to life."

A grim expression crossed Levi's face. "It came back?" He mumbled. "That's impossible."

Hanji shook her head. "It's like the blood took over its body and recreated the mouse. It killed it off, wiping the slate clean. Then it formed the body to its specifications and brought it back to life."

"What happened to it?" Hanjis face contorted into something he didn't recognize. When he didn't get an immediate answer, he sat forward on the chair.

"It got . . . Powerful. It broke the cage it was in. And it attacked me." Hanji rolled up her sleeves. Two considerably large scratch marks were etched into the insides of her forearms. "It tried to bite me but I smashed it with a textbook repeatedly until I killed it."

"Are you absolutely sure its dead?" He asked. Shit, what if it comes back to life again.

Hanji clicked her tongue. "I smashed it with a book, cut it into multiple pieces and kept the brain, then buried the pieces in different places on our last expedition. I think we're safe."

"Anyway. That's not the point. What I brought you here for is this." Hanji pulled out a tiny corked bottle of crimson liquid.

"Blood? You brought me here to see a vial of blood?"

"In a way, yes. But what we're going to be talking about is what I found inside of the blood." She smiled widely. "I think I've made a breakthrough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY were gettin some plot here! Had to wait like 30 chapters to get to it lol.
> 
> Leave feedback! I love it! Suggestions and crit are always welcome.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the love and support, have a fantastic week :)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> P.s.*cough*artforthisficwouldbereallycool*cough*  
> *hack*submitittomytumblrat*cough*  
> *sneeze*heichous-cleaning-supplies*cough*  
> Andiwouldloveyouforever


	26. Bruised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok ok I know "nut we hate slow filler chapters" 
> 
> TOUGH

Levi peered through the microscope, staring at the tiny black dot. It darted occasionally across the puddle of red as Hanji would poke at it. The needle approached the dot again, but this time the dot attacked it. Levi watched in bewildered horror as the blackness devoured the needles tip in seconds. The brunette wrenched her hand away from the microscope before it could go any farther.

"That happens every time." She sighed.

"So it's . . . alive?" He asked as he leaned back from the eyepiece. Hanji nodded.

"I built a hypothesis around it. You remember what I told you about the mouse, right? Well, this black . . . whatever, seems to have a mind of its own. It recreates the body its injected into. So my theory is that it takes over not just the body, but the brain as well."

Levi thought for a moment. "Like a parasite."

"Like a parasite." Hanji mirrored. "What I want to know next is what the black dot is made out of."

Levi looked around for a moment and studied Hanjis extremely cluttered desk. "When did you discover this?"

"About a month after the release." She replied, tipping the slide and sealing the specimen inside a vial of water. "I still have a comfortable amount of blood left. And now that I think about it, I need to get to studying the rest of it. Who knows what else is in there?"

Levi stood from his chair, eyes flicking to the tiny bottle of red liquid on Hanjis workspace. "Keep this between us. If you have to, tell Erwin. But you know how it is."

Hanji nodded her understanding as he left. Pretty soon, she found herself abandoning the microscope and in the stables with her assigned horse. She stroked the honey colored mares face absentmindedly, ignoring the occasional nudges for treats. Her butterscotch eyes watched the birds flitting around a large shrub outside the castle. One particular little finch stood out against the bluebirds, who rejected the outcast bird.

Nature was cruel to itself. It showed no mercy to a dying species, and favored those who fought for the top of the food chain. The beauty of the world is just a distraction from how cruel it really is. The human race was no exception to this rule. Caged behind a wall of stone, left with nothing but a piece of steel and a spark of hope.

Sometimes it seemed hopeless. Running out there with nothing but the clothes on your back and the muscles beneath your skin. Hopelessly outnumbered. Have faith, some said. It will get better. Maybe it will, but maybe it won't. Maybe humanity is doomed to die out behind these walls, cowering in a corner as it draws its last breath.

Hanji was tired of all this. She was tired of waking up to the sound of paperwork being dropped onto her bedsheets. Tired of going beyond the walls only to come back days later splattered with failure and God knows who's blood. Tired of the anti military, tired of the unhealthy food rations, tired of being unproductive, tired of being stuck in the same damn hole they've been in for years. They need a miracle, and Hanji knows where it is.

When they first trapped the dragon, Hanji knew this was a game changer. She'd seen its power, spent hours logging every movement, every breath. She'd sketched until her fingers were numb and studied every nick and tear in the rough flesh. This was the miracle they were looking for. And now, their miracle was somewhere beyond the walls, cast out with fear of the unknown.

Hanjis train of thought was broken by a harsh nudge from the now impatient mare. She frowned at the horse, who simply flicked her ears back as if to say 'you asked for it.' She chuckled as she pushed the horses face away lightly and stood. The brunette left for a while and returned with a saddle, quickly saddling and bridling her horse. She figured it was about time she had a good ride. And she knew exactly where to go.

Now there weren't a bunch of fields throughout the walls, especially with the high demand for open land for farming. But Hanjis field remained untouched, hidden away by a large patch of trees. She found it when she was only a kid. She remembered wandering through the forest with no particular destination, the hope for adventure clouding her fear of getting lost. Stumbling into the tall, golden grass was like discovering God.

The sun was setting behind the towering fence of grand oaks that caged in the field, showering the land with hues of gold, red, and orange. Hanji took a deep breath of the early July air. It wasn't too warm outside, but not too cold. A rare and perfect day for the dead of summer. The mare beneath her dipped happily into the grass, savoring the sweet taste of the untouched foliage.

Even crazy scientists deserved an evening off. This one was long overdue. Hanji leaned back and rested her head on the rump of her horse. She watched the lavender clouds drift lazily through the sky. What was it like up there? To be free, to feel the cool air on your skin, to soar through the clouds. That's another thing, were clouds soft to the touch? They appeared to be. Hanji guessed they were cotton or pulled sheep wool. She should have had levi take a sample.

Maybe they could learn more about the weather if they studied cloud material. Rain always comes from clouds. So maybe they could make portable rain if they collected rain clouds. Made perfect sense to Hanji. But wait, can you fly above clouds during a storm? Or were they infinite? What if the rain doesn't come from clouds, it falls _through_ them? Hanji made a mental note to ask levi all of these questions when she got back.

She'd be lying if she said she hadent gotten a teeny bit accustomed to seeing the dragon every day. It seemed off to send her back out, but Hanji couldn't quite figure out why. She assumed it was her own emotions holding her back from accepting it, but it still tugged at her. This discovery eased the nagging beast inside. They needed her back, even if it was for her own selfish reasons of experimentation.

Her brow furrowed as an idea began to brew inside her skull. Snapping up, she gathered her reins and raced back to HQ. She had a damn good idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steaming corpses were strewn across the landscape. Laying in large craters, buried under a mass of broken trees, some were completely dismembered. The murderer herself was stumbling along in no particular direction. My wings dragged lamely behind, exhausted from overuse. The clouds above dripped and spat on the world. Each drop seemed to weigh thousands on my hide. I weakly snarled at every drop that landed on my nose and disturbed the steam pouring from my bloody jaws.

So it turns out that all the answers to my stupid problems weren't inside the Titans. I knew that from the start, but what's wrong with a little hope? Hope got me into this mess, maybe it'll pull me out. Levi would be so proud of all these kills.

I learned a little something while I was out here. To go rogue isn't to just run into the forest with nothing but a pair of pants and claim yourself as the wilderness man. No, it's to be stripped of all dignity and privilege and left to fend for yourself. Emotions no longer mattered. Logical thinking was years off. But you still keep running, because something inside of you wants to believe that you can get it all back. That you can redeem yourself.

How wrong I was from the beginning.

My legs gave out and I tumbled to the grass. I just laid there, hoping that maybe I might die here. I was content with that. My eyes fluttered shut, the white noise around me coming to a halt.

* * *

_I was thrown into an extremely large metal room with vaulted ceilings. The heavy doors clanked shut behind me, the soft ticking of a lock putting to rest any hope for escape. I stood up and walked around. I hated the feeling of cold metal against my paws, but I had no choice. A large window towards the top of the room on the farthest wall reminded me that I was being watched. I didn't even have to test the glass to know that it was element proof._

_Beams and perches were strategically placed throughout the room. Ropes hung from the ceiling, and large boulders were scattered all over the floor. Strange multicolored holes and pipes on the walls attracted my attention, but were quickly ignored when the intercom system crackled to life. Bellowing gibberish echoed off of the walls. I half ignored it, turning most of my attention to the world around me. This was never good news._

_The gibberish stopped, and all was quiet. Finally, a large metal door beneath the far window began to rise. My entire body resisted to urge to shake and instead began preparing my defenses. I watched the blackness beyond the door yawn dangerously as it hid the creature I knew was inside. The door clicked into place and hung open. Nothing. Silence enveloped the room, my heavily beating heart the only noise to be heard pounding in my ears._

_A large, four winged creature with an enormous furry body burst out of the blackness. Four meaty limbs pounded on the metal, razor sharp claws puncturing the floor. I jumped and ran the opposite direction. It roared and sped after me. I dodged a boulder slung at my body, twisting and running along the side wall. An orange pipe ten feet in front of me burst, fire spitting in all directions._

_My ears were pinned in terror. I've never run this fast before, propelled purely by adrenaline. I took to the air and clung to a perch close to the ceiling. Stunned, the creature whipped around to look for me. I took this time to study it. It was easily ten times my size, and outweighed me by a ton. It was another hybrid. The body and face of a spider, legs of a jungle cat and custom designed wings that resembled my own, only there were two pairs._

_It was now that I realized it spotted me, hurling its body towards my perch. I dived for the floor and hid behind a boulder. I peered out from behind the rock and watched it walk along the wall. A claw punctured an orange pipe on the wall, another fire pipe. It jerked back and screeched in pain as the flames licked at its flailing legs._

_That was my ticket out: a weakness to fire._

_I launched myself over the rock and towards the animal. I roared to get its attention and took back to the air. I twisted my neck, dropping towards its head and shooting a plasma blast at its face. It backed into the wall, and I took its moment of blindness to slice open more of the Orange pipes. It writhed as fire raced along its inky fur. I plopped to the ground and started shooting blast after blast at its body._

_I finally backed it into the corner and perched on a boulder, craning my neck to deliver the final blow. My mouth foamed blue as the spines along my back glowed a brilliant orange. The blast erupted on contact, sending me flying back into the opposite wall. My head bounced off of the metal with a sickening thud, clouding my vision with black._

_When I came to, the air was clouded with dust. The creature was surely dead. Blood poured from its mangled figure as the metal around it caved in and splintered. I did it. I tried to stand, but my head protested loudly. Has that ringing been here this whole time? The intercom crackled to life once more. Did I make them proud? The words were muffled as a needle was shoved into a vein on my neck. I had no energy to fight back as the serum slipped through my system. The blackness came for me again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit starts speeding up next chapter I P R O M I S E
> 
> I have a horse show next Sunday so I'll probably update on Saturday next weekend. The weekends afterwords there may not be a chapter because of ANOTHER horse show that lasts both days. . . 
> 
> Thank you for the support even though some of these chapters are really slow, but nothing would ever surprise you if it was fast all the time, right? Have a fantastic week :)


	27. Try

"You want to do what?" Erwin asked in slight disbelief.

"I want to go beyond to walls and look for her." She repeated for the fifth time. Her hands were perched confidently on her hips as she looked down at Erwin, who was leaned back in his desk chair.

He pinched the juncture between his eyes. "Hanji, you can't just go beyond the walls whenever you please."

"I know, but that's why I'm telling you."

"Hanji," He began, sitting forward and folding his hands. "I don't know if this is some sort of pity trip you want to make for Levi, or if you're just trying to satisfy your own curiosity through your experiments, but my answer is no."

"Erwin, please trust me on this I-"

"Your experiments can wait, Hanji."

The brunette stiffened. "Do you think I'm stupid?" Erwin's brow raised in question.

"Do you think I don't know the consequences of traveling outside the walls? You think I'm just suggesting this because Levi looked a little sad in the dining hall? I have scientific evidence that says I was right about everything. But maybe that doesn't matter to you. After all, they're just stupid little experiments." The venom coated words slipped off of her lips perfectly. Erwin was taken back at the harsh tone.

"If you won't help me, then I'll find someone that will." With that, she turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her.

She stormed out of the castle to her horse and climbed back into the saddle. Her tongue clicked and sent the horse galloping down the dirt path. She knew exactly who to go to. She just had to make a stop first.

*****

"The point is sir, s-she'll be here any second now, she didn- _BAM_ " The skittish mp cadet yelped as the grand double doors slammed open. Hanji held them open with her outstretched arms and stared confidently into the large office, a satchel hanging from her shoulder.

"Mr.Zackley, I request to have a meeting with you as soon as humanly possible." She looked at Zackley expectantly. The man held her gaze for a moment, as if deciding if she was worth his time. The MP was shooed away and Hanji was left with him at last.

She approached the desk and pulled out a stack of papers as well as a glass bottle from the satchel. They were placed neatly on the desk and she stepped back, saluting the commander in chief.

"Hanji Zoe. Squad Leader of the Survey Corps and a highly recognized scientist and warrior. Why are you here?"

"Sir, I have come to request an emergency expedition beyond the walls." She stated.

The chief looked at her calmly, as if she had asked for tea. "Why is this?" Hanji motioned to the untouched documents on the table. Only now did he seem to take any interest in them, so he picked up the first page and scanned it over.

"Ah yes. Ms._______. I figured you would be back about this. Is this about Levi?"

Hanjis eye twitched, but she hid it well. "No sir. I believe that we made a mistake by getting rid of her."

Zackley flicked his eyes from the paper to her. "Why is that?"

"I believe I may have discovered our newest upper hand over the Titans."

Zackley was silent. Wether or not he took interest to anything she said, she didn't know. Stone faced and grim as ever. He placed the top paper back onto the pile and sat back in his chair.

"You have my full attention. Proceed." He nodded her to start.

"Days before the release, I collected samples from the dragon. Scales and blood. Over the past six months I've experimented with them. I can say with confidence that the results so far have extraordinary results." Hanji picked up the glass bottle and held it up to glance at the contents.  
"Inside this bottle is the key to every advanced weapon we could ever need."

"You see, inside the blood I found a peculiar object. A single black dot. It appeared to be nothing. But the more I studied it, the more I realized that it wasn't just nothing. It moves. When I would attempt to move it with a pin, it would attack the tip of the pin and begin to eat it. But that's not all." Hanji rushed the last sentence, fearing she was loosing his interest.

"I injected a small amount of the infected blood into a mouse. In a time span of about a month and a half, the blood killed the mouse, recreated the body, and brought it back to life more powerful and more dangerous than a human being." At this, Zackleys brow rose.

"Explain in detail, please." He mumbled.

"The blood had immediate effects on the body. The mouse appeared to be in intense pain, throwing itself against the side of its container, foaming at the mouth, and producing some rather unnerving sounds. It had strength right off the bat. The mouse was able to crack the heavy glass box and take some good sized chunks out of it. The more I came back to the mouse day after day, the more it changed. It's body lost the fur completely in two weeks and replaced it with scaly lizard-like hide in less than seven hours. Plates grew at the base of the tail, and the tail got larger in width and length each week."

Hanji pulled images she sketched out of the pile and laid them out. "During the sixth week, I came into the lab one morning to find the glass cage shattered completely. The mouse was running rogue in the lab. When it saw me, it attacked me. It had the strength of an extremely large dog, and the speed of a hummingbird. I killed it successfully, but not without giving something up in return." She pulled down her sleeves and showed off the duel, angry looking scars etched into her forearms.

Zackley hummed. "And what does this all have to do with the Titans?"

"I believe that this black dot is a sort of parasite. An aggressive parasite. The results I've seen from the mouse as well as the dragon tell me that if we are able to harness the power and use it to our advantage that we would have an incredible weapon of mass destruction on our side." She stated.

"And you believe that bringing her back is the best way?" His brow rose in question. He wasn't buying this.

Hanji nodded. "The source of the power is the best place to get it. Rather than work with one blood sample, we would have a whole body filled with the blood we need that we can tap into whenever."

"However. There are major risks that come along with this." She added. Was it smart to say this now? Well, better now than later. "The aggressiveness of the parasite is uncontrollable and unpredictable. I don't need to remind anyone of the numerous accounts of uncontrollable rage the dragon was morphing in and out of."

Zackley spent a few minutes mulling it over. He held up the glass bottle that Hanji handed him to the light and observed the pink tinted alcohol.

"How much faith do you have in this, Ms.Zoe?"

"To be honest sir? Not a lot. But we never gained anything by not taking risks."

The chief hummed. "That is true. What are your estimates?"

Estimates. A vague topic, but in this world, everyone knew what estimates meant. Hanji took a deep breath.

"A rough total of 100,000 dollars in damage, supplies, necessary facilities, and of course the expedition itself. I expect no fewer than 75 deaths will go into this." She hated numbers.

Zackley placed the bottle on the desk, nodding to himself. Leaning forward again, he stared the squad leader dead in the eye.

"Is this something worth dying for?"

"There is no cause more noble than dying for humanities benefit."

"Will we benefit at all?"

"I expect this to be successful."

"We always do. What makes this case so special?"

"That's for you to decide, sir."

The man held her stare for a few seconds longer. Hanji was no fool. And neither was he. They both knew the ultimate consequences that could come from this. The required manpower and budget was nothing to sneeze at for a "Maybe.". Finally, he stood up and nodded.

"I will allow the expedition."

Hanji let a triumphant smile surface. She stuffed the papers and the bottle back inside her satchel and saluted the commander in chief.

The tall man walked around his desk to face the brunette. "Since you seem to have this worked out, tell me your plan. We'll act from there. I trust that Erwin knows about this already?"

She picked at her nails nervously. "He knows . . . But he doesn't approve."

"Hm. Well. That will change soon." Hanji almost cackled. If she had Zackley on her side, she couldn't be stopped.

"How soon do you expect to put this into action?" He asked curiously.

Hanji grinned. "It's already in action."

The older man sighed. "Nobody really has a handle on you, do they?"

"Nope!" She chuckled.

"I will call a meeting with the three commanders. Tell Erwin I want him here the day after tomorrow. I want your 'Brilliant Plan' thought through and on my desk by that morning. I want you to be ready to give a brief presentation on it at the meeting. All the evidence you brought today should be there. Pixies and Nile need to hear it for themselves. I hope you know what you're asking for." He sighed.

Hanji nodded confidently. "You won't regret a thing, Sir."

With that, she was dismissed and left his office as quickly as she came. Zackley sat back down at his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. God, he hoped she was right.

* * *

After being made aware of the upcoming plans, Erwin was given a tight four seconds to gape before a quite full of herself Hanji skipped out of the room as if going to look for ice cream. The blonde groaned and dropped his head into his crossed arms.

"Here we go again." He moaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometime in the next month or so, I'll be going through ALL of the previous chapters and redoing the whole thing. The plot won't change, but certain plot elements and information may change. I highly suggest (in like five weeks, not right now) re-reading the whole thing. 
> 
> The FIC was supposed to end on chapter twenty seven, but the feedback encouraged me to push off the finishing date. For this reason I had to alter the plot somewhat to get a better outcome. You don't HAVE to reread the fic, but some things may get confusing in the future because of altered past detail. Just a heads up. 
> 
> Thank yOU all for the continued support! Gosh I love you all. I love feedback, so feel free to drop a comment!
> 
> Wish me luck in my show tomorrow, let's bring home the blue! Have a fantastic week :)


	28. Bing, Bam, Boom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friday night chapter? What has his world come to!? Enjoy, nerds. Kinda long chapter since I missed last week

"Hanji, I-I don't think this is a good idea."

"pfft, relax Moblit! It's all in the name of _science_."

The two stood atop a large metal pen built into the ground, adjacent to the titan pen used for _______. Five men surrounded a white horse that stood lazily in the center of the sand. One glanced nervously at tightly knit chain-link ceiling as he removed the halter from its face. Another looked up to Hanji and gave a thumbs up.

The brunette smiled. "MAKE IT HAPPEN, THEN!"

Man #2 injected the horse in the neck with a red serum. Everyone in the pen bolted for the door and slammed it shut. Now, the waiting.

Hanji watched the horse intently. Moblit shuddered behind her and clicked a pen open. Five minutes went by with no change. One of the men leaned over to Hanji with a questioning gaze.

"Silence!" She hissed as she shoved her palm into his face. "Give it time."

A frightened whinny burst from the floor of the pen. The white horse toppled over and writhed, it's legs pounding at the sand. Mobilts eyes darted from the horse to his clipboard as he scribbled. The whinnying became more desperate and distorted, reaching an ear shattering wail. Finally, it stopped. The only sound to be heard was Hanjis hard breathing. Whether out of excitement or fear, nobody knew.

The brunette swiped her arm out to hold back a soldier about to jump into the pit. "Wait." She mumbled.

The white hide bubbled softly, as if soup was simmering under the skin. Hanji pulled her goggles down over her eyes and pushed everyone to the ground. As everyone ducked, a hollow, rumbling followed by a burst of smoke poured from the pen. Everyone stood and looked down into the smokey abyss. Hanji nudged Moblit to keep writing.

It took a while for the smoke to clear. But when it did, it revealed exactly what Hanji wanted to see. A silky black horse teetered on its legs, as if just learning to walk. It shook its hide and began to unfold two leathery wings sprouting from its broad shoulders. Hanji walked around the pen and studied it more closely.

The tail was replaced with a lizard-like tail with dull plates along the spine and two bigger plates at the base. Besides the obvious change of color, the horse was also a little larger and now stood about 20 hands high. The leathery wings were accented with flecks of white; the old coat color. The horse appeared harmless despite the odd features, but Hanji knew better.

"Squad leader?"

"Just get the tranquilizer, Moblit."

"Ma'am I don't think-"

"It'll be fine!"

"No, Hanji, I rea-"

" _YAAHOOOOOO_!" As it looked around innocently, the brunette leapt into the pen. Immediately the animal spun around and pinned its velvet ears. Hanji smiled.

The horse charged her but missed as the squad leader danced out of the way. The brunette yelped and bolted as a hoof pounded into the concrete wall. A stream of molten liquid lapped angrily at her heels. Hanji cackled and dipped to the side as the animal charged through the lava.

"WATCH YOURSELVES! THIS ONES CREATIVE!" She yelled, leaping over the bowed head. The tail rose up and swiped at her midriff. Hanji laughed and caught the tail, swing around to land on the animals back. The wings flailed and the horse bucked wildly, spurts of angry fire replacing the expelled air from its nostrils.

The squad leader was thrown from the animals back and somersaulted across the sand. She leapt to her heels in time to duck away from the rearing hooves. Hanji found herself caged under the four limbs and scrambled to find a way out. The horse let out a bellowing neigh and started forward to trample the brunette. Hanji squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the beating she was sure would come, but as the moments passed she felt nothing.

She opened one eye and found herself face to face with an unconscious horse. Nervously chuckling, she shakily got to her feet and pounded the air with her fists.

"MOBLIT! HAHA! DID YOU GET THAT?! DID YOU GET IT?! IT SPITS LIQUID FIRE! AND IT  
HAS-" The squad leader paused mid sentence to double over and retch violently.

Moblit pounded his forehead with the clipboard and motioned to the other soldiers.

"Get the deviant. And the horse." He groaned.

*****************

" _Why_. Why? Why this?" Erwin babied his head in his hands. Heavy pounding against the bolted metal door filled the silent gap.

"You should have been there." Hanji hummed, her bandaged arms folded comfortably against her chest. She softly cringed at a particularly loud whinny that rumbled from the depths of the holding cell.

Erwin took a deep breath of the cold, musky air and watched it fog around his face.

"Indeed I should have. To stop you, If it wasn't for anything else." The blonde pressed his forehead against the damp stone of the hallway wall.

"You should be there for the next one!"

Erwin froze. "No. No next one."

Hanji huffed and threw her hands up. "But Errrwii _nnnnnn_."

"No! No more!" Erwin stated finally. His voice wavered in disbelief, something Hanji rarely got to hear. "A-and why a horse?! Why was your first instinct a horse! Why not a dog o-or a fish?! A horse?! Hanji, are you even listening to me?!"

"Yeah I'm listening." He could barely see her pout in the dim torchlight of the underground hall.

Erwin sighed heavily. These days his only words to Hanji were usually scolds. The brunette was incredibly stubborn when it came to research or experiments, but this was off the charts. This time, she could have gotten herself killed. She walked away lucky; 2nd degree burns on numerous parts of her body and a sprained ankle. But next time, she might not be that lucky. Her research didn't scare him, her experiments didn't worry him, it's what came OUT of those that scared him. Deadly serums or unstable new explosives made out of a paperclip and gunpowder. But this time, he had a whole new species he had to keep track of. Zackley wasn't going to be happy when he hears about this.

The blonde tensed for a second before finally giving in. "Ok, Hanji. What did you learn?"

The woman's eyes immediately lit up. "I proved my theory! And I have a new one!"

Erwin nodded slowly, silently urging her on.

"So," Her hands began to wave around in wild gestures. "My first theory was that the parasite effected the animal differently according to size and species. That's why I used a horse; its huge, and also a mammal like the rat. Immediately my theory was proved right. Instead of reviving itself weeks later like the rat, there was almost instantaneous results! It grew wings and its fur color chang- well you saw it I don't need to explain."

"What are you going to do with it, though? Kill it?" Erwin saw nothing in arguing with the woman. Might as well just go along with it. She was going to do whatever she wanted, regardless of what he said or did. That upcoming expedition was proof.

"Hell no!" She yelped. "I'm going to train it! It'll be my little pet, and it'll help us look for _______ on that expedition!"

Erwin raised a brow. "Can you train it in time?"

She smiled slyly at the commander. "Was that a joke?"

Hanji approached the bolted door. She placed a bandaged hand over the metal and closed her eyes, as if soaking in the power behind the angry kicks at the metal. "She's got potential. She's wild and untamable in this form, but she was once domestic and sweet. If I can uncover that old side of her, then I can unlock the secret to taming the parasite."

She removed her hand and looked over her shoulder to see if he was still listening. "That dragon was tamed. So it can be done. But the parasite is still overpowering the will of the mind. It's our job to make the parasite work with the mind instead of against it. And then, when we have control over the body and mind, we will have access to the best weapon against the Titans that mankind has ever had."

Erwin was surprised at the sudden serious turn the conversation took, but quickly pushed it away. She was right. Hanji was an intelligent person, no doubt. A little reckless, but her brains made the whole operation.

A small smile touched the corner of his mouth. "You have my full support, then."

Hanji flashed a grateful smile and turned back to the door. She stared at the metal fondly as if she were looking directly at the experiment inside.

"Well, as fun as this has been, I have a meeting to make, no thanks to you." He grumbled the last part, but continued quickly. "And so do you. Are you ready?"

Hanji spun on her heel and started down the hallway. "More than you know."

*********

The squad leader practically exploded out of the front doors of the military court, planting her feet on the cobblestone and doubling over.

 _"I WASNT READY._ " She screeched. Her hands pressed into her knees too hard, forcing her legs to buckle.

"You did fine." Erwin reassured, now standing over her crumpled form.

Hanji moaned and leaned against his leg as she gripped the hem of his crop jacket. "I spilled isopropyl alcohol all over Nile!"

The blonde patted her head and gently removed her hands from his jacket. "And I couldn't be more proud."

The meeting lasted for a good chunk of time. Almost 5 hours. By now, the sun had set and left the sky in a softly illuminated lavender hue.

Hanji pushed herself to her feet, the satchel swaying at her side. "At least Zackley bought it. Pixies and Nile didn't seem too thrilled. I think they only agreed because of Zackleys approval."

Erwin hummed in agreement, his eyes perking at the approaching carriage. "You aren't wrong. But they're both smart enough to make their own decisions. They easily could have declined it. But they didn't, so obviously they see your side of the story. All that's left now is the preparation for the expedition."

The brunette hopped into the carriage after the commander and ran a hand through her matting ponytail. "True. Ah, one month. That gives me plenty of time to spend with Thea!"

"Thea?" Erwin popped a brow.

She nodded happily. "That's the name I gave to the horse!"

Erwin nodded in understanding and turned back towards the window. "Just be careful. If you get hurt it'll postpone the expedition."

"Pfft." Hanji waved her hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. Hey! You wanna come watch the first one?"

He turned it over in his mind before smiling lightly. "I might take you up on that."

"GREAT! Meet me outside her cell at 5 am!" She bubbled.

"Wait- 5a-"

" _THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanji and Erwin needed more love from this fic. I rarely get to see these two and they're my favorite to write. Don't give up hope, though! Levi will make his appearance soon! And what's going on with our night fury friend? Well, I guess we'll all know soon enough~~~
> 
> Keep an eye out for these chapters Friday night through Sunday, sometimes I post early if I finish it early. Mostly out of fear that the whole thing will be lost X.X it happened to me before, I'm not insane lol. 
> 
> Well.
> 
> Thank you all for the continued love and support! Geez, almost 2800 views! Kudos through the roof, and the wonderful comments pop up every now and then, God I love you all so much Q.Q.
> 
> Have a fantastic week all!


	29. ramblefest 2015

Hey guys!

Oh lord I'm sorry to say that there will be no chapter this weekend. As I said a few chapters ago (1, 2 chapters ago? I have no damn clue) I was going to revamp the chapters. Well I started doing that this week. So far I've just skimmed over a few and changed them a teeny bit. I'm surprised at how many plot holes that I've left open that may have confused you all. I'm extremely disappointed in myself for not being as thorough in plot as I thought I was.

Rest assured, I have filled those holes and covered the tracks . . . For the most part lol. I want to finish the fic with all loose ends tied up. If you all find flaws as small as misspellings or as large as entire plot details that aren't relavent to past or future information, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

Also, I've been looking through everything, and I came to a conclusion.

This fic is bland.

Yes, it has an awesome dragon and action packed adventure, and our poor poor lead character never gets a damn BREAK. BUT. This fic is missing something.

That's where you all come in. I've been toying with the idea of relationships. I know Levi's got his dragon, but how would you all feel about him having a lady friend? (Or man friend, whatever you're into.) 

Ya know, the good old cheesy "gets the girl and the story ends with a triumphant Character A embracing Character B as the wind ruffles their hair and white doves fly everywhere and the sounds of singing children can be heard in the distance" crap?

No, not quite that cheesy. But you get the point.

Anyway, I just want to know how yall feel about this. Let me know if you want levi to get to girl, and who you want it to be! It can be anyone you want, or I can make an OC if you all are bored with the original characters. Please keep in mind that the 104th squad will likely not make an appearance, so any pairings with them will have to be sadly declined.

The fic is coming to a close soon! I expect the finale to come sometime after March, but before the end of June. So it will probably close with the ending of school around the middle of June. FEAR NOT, FRIENDS. I wont just drop off the map after this fic is over. No no, I actually have plans for another fic! Its completely different from this one. 

On the last chapter of HTTYS, I'll drop a few prompts into the end note and have you all vote. I don't know how many prompts exactly, but there's at least two so far. You'll have a choice of Fic A . . . 

And maybe, possibly, *gasp* _A SECOND SEASON OF HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SOLDIER?!_

_WELL SMACK MY ASS AND CALL ME SHIRLEY._

depending on the ending and feedback, I might spur right into a second season! I have a plan for it, and already an entire word document dedicated to it. It will be much better, better written, better plot elements, and I might even take on a beta reader just to save you all the woes of misspellings and odd plot elements. I'm just tossing ideas into it and slowly developing the plot, all I need is a yay or nay from you all. 

one last thing. I promiissseeeee. I'm not an artist. I take art class, I have been since I was in elementary school. *im graduating soon* and I still suck at it. I draw, but alas, no improvement. I've been known to do some bomb ass face sketches of random AOT characters, such as levi and Annie, however, my artistic abilities go no further than faces and occasionally, portraits of animals. 

If anyone, anyone at all, would like to make art for this fic, I encourage you. Even if you just drew it in your notebook in the middle of class and you want to send it to me, I'm all open. No drawing any of you send me could ever be stupid or ugly or badly drawn, because I myself am a HORRIBLE artist and I have no place in judgement xD. 

you can send it to me over tumblr at Heichous-cleaning-supplies. Or at Deviantart at Rabbitsmeow123. I can display it or keep it private depending on your requests.

 

                                  ---------------------------------------------

 

Since day one, I've had nothing but positive support. I love all of your kudos, comments, bookmarks, I love seeing them. You all have opened your arms to my spur of the moment decision fic that i was super nervous about posting the first chapter to . But day after day, I loved writing and posting a new chapter. Now, writing this fic has become an almost daily routine that I look forward to. I plan my life around it, and put my best efforts into it. Sometimes Ill get ideas at random. In public, at school, at home, I'll just grab my phone and jot it down. And when I get home I throw my stuff down and open my laptop. 

This fic has become a wonderful part of my life, and so have all of you. Thank you so much for the continued love and support. I look forward to the future of my writing with all of you. 

 


	30. Change Of Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early upload AND an extra long chapter?!  
> Yall are spoiled.

Erwin bolted up in his bed. Endless pounding echoed from his door. Growling, he hurried to the door and whipped it open, staring down the cause of his disrupted sleep. Hanji beamed up at him, her bandaged hands perched on her hips.

"Up up up, blondie! We gotta go!" She half-whispered.

"Hanji," He moaned and rubbed his face with his hands. "It's 4 am. You said 5."

"I know, I know! But the hunter has to get up before the prey, right? Let's go!" Before he could reply, Hanji had bounded around the corner down the hall, no doubt going to wake Moblit with the same display. He groaned and shut his door.

The air was pretty warm for 4am. The commander already missed the cold kiss of winter. Next to him, Moblit fanned his face with a clipboard, a pencil stuck in his ear. A small squad was gathered behind them for backup. Hanji was in the middle of the sandy floor, probably inspecting the room.

The large torches hung evenly alone the stone walls provided decent light, and no doubt some unnecessary heat. The ceiling was 4 X 4 squares of chain link ceiling, the open air and fence behaving like a checkerboard. You could see the stars clearly even with the torch light. On the far side of the rectangle room, two metal double doors provided an on-foot entrance through the underground hall. Opposite of it was a large metal barricade that was held shut with a bar.

Hanji adjusted the backpack hanging from her shoulder. You could almost hear her soft mumbling about its contents. Finally, she huffed and stood straight.

"ALRIGHTY, LET 'ER RIP!"

***********************

Levi was woken up by loud noises outside his window. Somewhere in the training grounds, shouting accompanied by morphed whinnies raised hell to his ears. Levi shot out of bed and rushed to his closet.

"Godamnit." He hissed, tripping over a boot.

Levi ran down the underground hall, his lungs burning against the moldy air. He skidded to a halt in front of the double metal doors and unbolted it, flinging one open. The horrific scene halted him only for a second. A fury of wings and hooves chasing Hanji around the cage. Any soldier that dared approach the animal was targeted and attacked with a booming neigh that mirrored the stomp of a Titans feet. The animal resembled a horse, which levi was sure it once was. One look at its eyes told levi all he needed to know.

Growling, Levi gritted his teeth and pulled blades from his sides. His feet kicked up large clouds of sand as he tore towards Hanji. Erwin met him halfway, and levi shot a glare in his direction. Was he standing back the whole time?

He activated his gear and lunged for Hanji, barely pulling her out of the way. The woman yelped as she was slung over his shoulder.

"LEVI?!" She yelled. The Raven responded by punching her leg.

The horse flipped around, fire hissing at its heels as it took to the skies. Erwin slammed into the side of its body and knocked it off balance. The commander faced it off for a second, displaying his blades and challenging the horse. The challenge was accepted and greeted with a spout of lava. Erwin ducked to the left and charged.

"LEVI!" He called, barely missing a flaming hoof aimed for his chest.

Levi threw Hanji over the wall. "Make sure she doesn't leave." He called to Moblit, pushing off of the wall and dropping into the pit.

The Raven bumped Erwin away from another spout of lava and shot to the right. He activated his gear and spun around the room, diving at the horses back. Hanji scrambled to the side of the wall.

"NO!" She screeched.

Two blades sunk into the horses spine and chest. Crimson slowly soaked the inky skin as the horse collapsed to the sand. Levi touched to the ground and inspected the body, tearing a blade from her back. Hanji was down in the pit within seconds. She approached the body and sobbed into the inky mane. The captain pulled her up by the collar of her jacket and held her in front of him.

"You," He hissed. "How _dare_ you. You created a monster. A fucking monster. I thought I could trust you with the DNA. I didn't think this shit would happen. But here I am, tearing your ass out of harms way while numerous others are injured by your fucking little creation! _What the ever loving fuck do you think you're doing?!"_

Hanji looked around at the soldiers around her. Some were sitting up, nursing bleeding arms and sides. Moblit began to bandage one mans bleeding head.

A tear rolled down Hanjis red cheek as she lightly pressed Levis hands to pull him off. They didn't budge. "Levi, I thought I could use her-"

"FOR WHAT. You're putting our lives in danger, you're putting us in the same fucking situation we were put into court over, you don't even know what the fuck this thing is capable of!" Hanji winced at his tone.

"It's for the expedition!" She howled.

Levi froze. "What expedition." His voice was quiet now, and held a suspicious tone that drowned out the previous anger.

Hanji panted, her eyes flicking between Erwin and Levi. She looked at Erwin, her pleading brown eyes almost shaking.

"You didn't tell him?" She squeaked. "Why didn't you tell him?"

Levi dropped Hanji, who buckled to the ground with a yelp. He whipped around and faced Erwin.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell him?"

The blonde could feel the icy orbs tearing holes into his own eyes. "We didn't plan on having you come along." He replied calmly.

Levis face twisted in confusion. He always went on expeditions. He was a valuable soldier that acted as a barrier between the Titans and some comrades. He was the leader of the special operations squad. And if he didn't go, that means they didn't go either, and that meant an increase in the death toll.

"What? The fuck- you're telling me that you're all going on an expedition without me?"

Eyes widening a fraction, he connected the dots. " _You're bringing her back?!"_

Levi drew his blades and lunged for Erwin with a snarl. Erwin blocked a jab to his side and smacked away another to his neck. The two fought a one sided battle for a good while, mostly with Erwin on defense.

"She was finally free!" He hurled his left blade for Erwin's leg. The blonde sliced it away with his own. "She could live without chains and cuffs!" The cracking of steel sent Levi bounding back on his toes. He sheathed his blades and sprang forward, tackling the bigger man to the ground. His cold hands curled around Erwin's neck and pressed into the sand.

"I won't let you take that from anyone else!" He hissed.

Erwin's wide eyes stared back at Levi. Somewhere beyond the icy slits, he was silently pleading. Erwin raised his hands to push Levi off. Levi hopped backwards and turned to Moblit.

"When is it."

The sandy haired assistant flinched slightly. "July 6th."

Nodding to himself, the Raven turned a deadly glare back to Erwin. "Not If I have anything to do about it."

With a flip of his cloak, he stormed out of the arena and slammed the metal doors. Erwin stood up and brushed his uniform off. Hanji exchanged a worried glance with him and returned to the horses body. She inspected the wounds and pressed her ear to the rib cage. A cackle erupted from her throat along with a smile. Erwin raise a brow. She's delirious.

"She's alive! Gah, my predictions were right!" Jaw dropping to his chest, Erwin watched the woman pull bandages and a stitching kit out of her backpack.

He slapped a hand to his face as she tended to the wounds. "I was curious to see if these things could be killed. _______ appeared pretty resilient, so I was also keeping an open mind for regeneration. What we're seeing here is a game of "playing possum". It's a wonder she didn't wake up and kill us all." With a giddy chuckle, she pulled the second steel blade from the inky fur and went to work on stitching.

"Hmm, the flesh has already started to mend itself . . . Write this down, Moblit." Erwin left the arena without a word, too afraid of spewing poisonous opinions.

\-------------------------

Magnificent, ancient trees were torn to the ground. Thick claw marks and burns lined their once soft and smooth bark surface. Broken pieces of wood were strewn across the scorched landscape. Fire raged on some of the fallen trees, impressive clouds of smoke spiraling into the clouds. Titan remains scattered the land and steamed angrily. In the midst of the chaos stood a black figure, her chest heaving with breaths long overdue. Her mouth foamed with blood. A tired paw sunk its claws deeper into the mangled carcass of a wild horse.

The air in her lungs burned, as if the fires all around her were inside her body, licking, burning, biting the soft flesh. There were gouges in her hide, oozing fresh blood that slowly dripped onto the earth. She had eaten her fill of the carcass, but it brought her no satisfaction. She was still hungry, and at the same time, too sick to eat.

She refused to look around. To look at what she'd done. She was ashamed. But something deep inside didn't care. The blood on her paws meant nothing. The pain from her wounds was just another days work. The chaos around her was exactly what she asked for. And exactly what she didn't want.

Her pupils contracted to angry slits. ______ shook her head and pressed her forehead under her paws.

_'Please, no. Not again.'_

Her pupils widened, returning to normal size before contracting again. The dragon bounded around and roared. She tried to contain the heat bubbling underneath her hide, and dug her claws into the earth beneath her.

_'Control it. Control it!'_

An angry orange glow began to creep out from under her hide. The tips of her wings glowed brightly in her peripheral vision as she struggled to stay still.

_'CONTROL IT!'_

The glow only intensified. Screeching, the dragon curled into a shaking ball and wrapped her wings around her form. Her ears pressed onto the back of neck, blocking out her own screams. Her claws extended and dug painfully into her stomach.

' _Somebody, please, help me.'_

_'Levi.'_

\--------------------------

"Levi, Levi please open up!" Hanjis muffled voice accompanied pounding on his door. Levi simply ignored it and continued to file his paperwork.

"Levi!" Silence. She stopped her pounding and leaned against the oak door, sliding down to the floor.

"You aren't going to listen to me?" She called.

"Too many times I've listened to your shit," he muffled back. "I've hit my limit."

"Levi, you're not getting this!" She tore at her hair, curling her fingers into her scalp. "We've hit our limit too! We need this dragon, we need the DNA, we need the parasite! We need it to win, Levi!"

Hanjis cheeks began to flush red with anger. Her voice wavered with the coming storm of tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. "Im tired, Levi! So tired of loosing, of coming back home with fresh blood on my uniform, tired of watching my friends and only family die at the hands of the Titans! _I can't fucking stand it anymore!"_

"You need to let it go. I know, you're grieving for Isabel and Farlan, but please, we need this! We need her here! You can't protect her forever. We have to sacrifice her freedom so that we can achieve our own. This is a future changing operation. You have to understand, there's no way you could be that oblivious! Please Levi, for the good of mankind, _**HELP ME GOD DAMNIT!"**_

The silence was disrupted by her heavy panting. Her puffy eyes searched the floorboards as she pressed her back further into the oak door. She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. Just then, the door swung open. Whipping around, she stared up at Levi, eyes wide with hope. "So you're siding with him?" The cold tone Levi spoke in quickly wiped away her hopeful smile. "I won't help you clip her wings." Hanji couldn't move her legs. Or anything, for that matter. Levi was clearly upset. But why couldn't he see their side of the story? "Go away." He mumbled, closing the door slowly.

\--------------

Furious kicking pounded against the metal holding cell. Hanji sat across from the door, arms folded across her knees, and listened quietly to the horses relentless pounding. It was a miracle the animal was alive. But all thanks to the power of regeneration and an enhanced internal defence system, the horse was alright and was healing inside her cell.

If you couldn't already tell, she's healing rather nicely.

She made Levi cross with her. She hated that. She'd only seen him like this once, and that was after his first expedition. She remembered the way he acted towards Erwin for a week straight. Interactions were kept to a bare minimum, Levi wouldn't talk to the blonde unless it was absolutly necessary. Now, Levi was no child. He didn't avoid his superiors or pout and give the silent treatment, but it was still pretty obvious that the Raven was not in the best state of mind to speak to the commander. And now Hanji was getting the same treatment. Strictly business, no funny stuff. Straight to the point and when she blinked he was gone. She didn't mean to make him angry, but she had to tell him how she felt, how everyone else felt. He just wasn't getting this. And she knew exactly why.

In the short time Hanji knew the trio when they first arrived, it was automatically obvious that they were inseparable, and that Levi was the leader and protector of his pack. Levi has an inner circle, and an outer circle. No middle. Very, very few make it to the inner. Hanji would like to consider herself as part of Levis inner circle, but you would have to get that information from him. Isabel, Farlan, and _______ are the only three to make it as far as they did. As far as they did with connecting to Levi on a personal level. Granted, the man began to open up ever so softly each month the longer he was here, but that didn't mean that he dropped his protective barriers completely. She knew he would come around eventually. But in the mean time, this sucked.

Just then, heavy footsteps plowed towards the brunette. She lifted her head to see Moblit tearing out of the shadows with a paper, waving the document above his head. He pressed it into hanjis hands and doubled over in a panting mess. Her eyes scanned the paper, widening as the words sank in. The squad leader leapt to her feet.

"Shit." She mumbled, starting down the hall.

\------------

Atop wall rose, Levi tried to ignore the footsteps of Titans below in Maria's depths. A garrison member spoke to Hanji, handing the woman a pair of binoculars and pointing to the horizon. It's a wonder they could see anything out here. Grey clouds covered the sky, providing shade and protection from the hot June sun. Lost in a train of thought, Levi barely noticed when the binoculars were shoved into his hands.

"You might want to take a look at this." The squad leader mumbled.

He raised the item to his eyes and watched the horizon. Far off behind miles upon miles of trees, almost too far for the binoculars to see, large puffs of smoke clawed their way through the treetops. He took the binoculars away from his face and eyed Hanji, who simply nodded.

"We might have to leave earlier than planned. Moblit, take this to commander Erwin. Have him arrange a meeting with Zackley and the other commanders. There's been a change of plans." Levi scribbled a note onto the back of the notice they were given and handed it to Hanjis assistant.

The sandy haired man moaned and started off. "When did I become a carrier pigeon?" He mumbled.

Turning back around, Levi watched the garrison soldier speaking to Hanji. She looked familiar.

"Hey, kid." The girl turned and looked at him. Yep, he knew her.

He pointed at her. "Marie Fallensport?"

Eyes widening, she nodded. Hanji flicked her eyes between the two.

"I owe you. For the maneuver gear." Hanjis face twisted in confusion.

". . . what?" The brunette whispered to herself.

"Hanji, turn around and study that smoke cloud for a second. Tell me what you see." Levi commanded.

As the squad leader turned around, Levi took the garrison soldier by the chin and placed a short kiss to her lips.

"I don't see anything unusual le-ANHHH!"

Levi pretended he didn't hear Hanji and pulled away calmly. He patted the stunned girl on the shoulder and motioned for the squad leader to follow him.

"Let's get to HQ." He called, leaping off the wall.

"Wha-but-levi you-" Hanji only stared at Marie, who stood still as stone with a heavy blush across both cheeks.

"You're a lucky lady." Hanji mumbled. She ran and leapt off the wall after Levii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH I DID THAT SO WHAT FIGHT ME COMMON PUT EM UP  
> I CAN DO WHAT I WANT YOURE NOT MY MOM.  
> *cough* yeah. 
> 
> Blossoming relationship or nah? Only time will tell  
> *cough* that means I don't know either.*cough*
> 
> Thank you for the love and support! Kudos and comments just make my day, bless you all. 
> 
> I'll see you guys *snaps fingers* next week. Have a fantastic week!


	31. Loud Fucking Birds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS STILL SUNDAY  
> IM NOT LATE  
> SHUT UP

So it's settled then?"

Zackley nods, exchanging expectant glances with Pixis and Nile, who also nod. 

"Two weeks then." Erwin confirms, standing up from his chair. The three commanders exchange small farewells. Levi and Nanaba stand from their chairs and followed Erwin out of the room, climbing into the carriage out front.

Erwin cleared his throat, attracting Levis attention from the window. The Raven watched him expectantly.

"I assume Hanji has shown you everything?" Levi flicked his eyes to the window. p>"Will you help?" The blonde pressed. He was met with silence accompanied by a warning glance. Erwin held back an irritated sigh and pressed his hands together in his lap. "Its always easier when it's not you, isn't it?" Levi said suddenly. His words were quiet and cool and nearly undetectable. "A man who cuts the legs off a horse to keep it from running away won't feel the pain the horse does. Only when the horse can no longer offer a service will the man regret what he has done." 

***********

Levi took a deep breath and gazed around him. Soldiers of all ranks of the corps sat tall and proud on carefully bred steeds. The tack was freshly polished and shined proudly in the early morning light. Supply carts were checked once, twice, three times. Everyone shuffled nervously in their saddles as the commander awaited conformation from the garrison soldiers atop the wall. 

So why was he here, exactly? After he fought them all along the way? Well, he was here as prevention. Erwin knew this. Hanji knew this. Everyone knew this. That, and, as a captain and the special operations squad leader, he was required to go on expeditions.

Hanji groaned in frustration. Ah, not this again. The brunette was sour because her project, Thea, wasn't ready for battle by the expedition. "I knew I could do it in a month, but two weeks? Not enough time!" Levi sighed and glared in the opposite direction. If he had to hear any more complaining . . . 

Finally, the signal came. A few cadets whimpered in fear as the gates before them rumbled to life. Erwin fumbled with the reins in his hands and took a deep breath. 

"Soldiers, men and women alike, I invite you forward to a new future of humanities existence! Your beating hearts stand between the rest of human kind and extinction. Remember where you stand, remember the countless fallen before you, and fuel yourselves to prepare for battle! Fight for a new dawn, a new world, a new life for all!" 

He spurred his horse, who reared under him as he pulled a blade from his side and held the glinting metal above his head. "ONWARD!" 

Cheers and cries erupted from the crowd, spurring their horses after the commander. Levi couldn't help but feel a tiny ounce of pride in the soldiers around him. They had no idea what they were getting into, and still, even with fresh piss in their pants and fear in their hearts, they kept on with heads held high and blades displayed at their sides. 

Hooves clattered across old cobblestone and soon met the fresh green grass. As they filed out, the formation began to take place. Horse teams flew left and right to fan across the land in a storming herd. Levi was at the front of the formation leading his squad, directly behind Erwin. Mike and Hanji were leading their squads halfway down the left and right sides of the formation, ready to be called in for backup. For now, it was a waiting game. 

The clattering of his gear at his sides and the rocking pace of the horse under him calmed him slightly. His nerves had been on edge for a few days. Last night, he spent the sleeping hours pacing his room. He ate a small and quick breakfast before rushing out to get a head start of supply check. He set out the horse tack for his squad and groomed their horses, much to their surprise. 

"DEVIANT!" A shout echoed from the right. Immediately, a black flare fired into the sky and was answered by the surrounding squads. Levi spotted a large spider-like titan that was heading for the far right corner of the formation. He watched a few soldiers distract the titan while a few more went in for a spotless kill. Perfect. A green flare was sent up from the victory squad and followed up by the others surrounding. 

He returned his attention back to the road and scanned the landscape. A large grove of massive trees ahead marked the end of the grassy plains. He eyed Erwin, who seemed intent on riding through them. Not a bad idea. Forests like these were usually too dense for Titans to crawl through. 

Hours went by, no Titans, nothing but never ending forest. Levi realized a while ago that they were expanding outside of charted territory, but when he asked Erwin what he was doing, he received no response. Suddenly, Erwin's right arm shot out and pointed right: the sign to stop. It took a while before everyone was regrouped and an inventory check was carried out. The horses were tied up to rest as soldiers were allowed to dismount and stretch. 

Erwin was huddled with Nanaba and a few map makers slightly apart from the group, muttering quietly to them as one dark haired man pulled a compass from his breast pocket and flipped it open. 

Levi retired to a fallen tree, his squad gathering in the same area, chattering amongst themselves. They were allowed to eat, but Levi could tell that they are too nervous to eat. Petra broke away from the three men and sat on the fallen tree. Levi regarded her with a respectful nod and returned his attention to the forest around them.

It was a pretty place. The trees boasted beautifully vibrant green leaves that provided excellent shade from the late June sun. The chirping of many birds surrounded them with song, hidden amongst the tree branches and far from sight. 

"What's she like, sir?" Petra curiously interrupted the silence. 

Levi, not minding the small conversation, took a small breath. "It's like having freedom in the form of a living, breathing, being." 

She nodded in understanding. "What about flying, what's that like?" 

Levi resisted the urge to smile at the very memory. "It feels almost weightless. Like you could do anything you wanted without consequence." 

She smiled. "I'd like to meet her someday. If she makes you happy, she must be a wonderful companion." 

Levi looked at Petra, who was smiling softly at her hands. The dragon was never really around his squad members. For obvious reasons, her contact was limited to anyone outside of the small circle that consisted of Erwin, Hanji, Mike, Moblit, and of course himself. it was a shame, really. He was sure that ______ and Petra would get along fine.

"Set up camp; were staying here for the night." Erwin announced. 

\- - - 

The next morning started off lazy and quite groggy for every soldier. It turns out the birds don't shut the fuck up when the sun goes down, you know, like every normal bird does. Those who managed to get any sleep at all were bustling about and sending curious glances at their groggy eyed friends. 

Levi and his squad saddled their horses quickly. After a quick and very small breakfast of water and bread, the expedition was back on the road. The never ending forest sped past their heads in blurs of green and brown. Levi hardly payed any attention to the monotone ride, letting his wind wander and his thoughts flow with the wind in his hair. 

One of these days, he need to just sit down and relax. His life has been all over the map for so long, he hasn't taken any time to just take his mind away from everything. But how does one relax in a world like this? I mean, after all this time, it's like he's forgotten how to relax. His idea of a slow day is sitting at his desk with a pile of paperwork. Even if he walks away from such paperwork with a sore arm, he doesn't feel like he spent all day working. 

The cadets and mutuals had their own ideas of relaxing. Most of which were repulsive to the captain. It wasn't uncommon to see all ranks of the survey corps sneaking out at some time of the night to do Sina knows what. Drinking yourself stupid, puffing cigar smoke like a freight train, and *ahem* friends with benefits. 

Levi snapped out of his thoughts as he smelled a small tinge of burning wood. Sniffing the air softly, he motioned to Petra, who nodded and assumed the squad leader position. Levi rode up beside Erwin. 

"Do you smell that?" He called. The blonde nodded, his brow furrowing. Levi looked ahead, flipping his gaze between Erwin and the road. All he needed was a small nod to proceed. He snapped the reins and flew forward, putting great distance between him and the rest of the survey corps. The forest thinned and the scent grew stronger. Ahead, Levi could see what he was afraid of finding.

His horse pounded into a charred clearing. Downed and charred trees were scattered around them. A putrid smell lingered in the air, overpowering the smell of burnt wood. Levi brought his horse to a halt amongst the chaos. It wasn't long before the rest of the survey corps pounded into the clearing. Heavy murmurs of concern filled the air as Levis squad gathered nearby. Erwin, Hanji and Mike rode up beside Levi and looked around.

Hanji let out a low whistle. "This is impressive." 

Erwin nodded as his horse danced on the blackened ground. Mike sniffed the air, eyeing Levi, who avoided the eye contact. 

They all left, spreading out to survey the area. Levi rode on slowly, letting his horse wander in no specific direction. As they neared a particular fallen tree, his horse pinned his ears and balked. Levi clucked and urged the animal forward, but it threw its head up and danced on its toes.

"Forward, cobalt." He growled, kicking the inky sides. The horse reluctantly moved forward, allowing Levi to peer over the tree. The stale carcass of a horse layed mauled and almost unrecognizable on the burnt ground. Levi hopped off his horse and let it stand where it was. He knew cobalt wouldn't leave. He bent down to the horrid carcass, studying the bite marks. His blood ran cold. He knew those bites anywhere.

He looked to the ground, noticing the heavy paw prints and scuffs from a takeoff. His fingers traced the deep claw marks. She did all of this. Levi leaned back a little. She was here, somewhere. She was around. He could find her. He looked up in the direction of the marks; Southeast. Levi jumped to his feet and swung onto his horse, spurring it into a gallop. 

"CAPTAIN!"

"LEVI!" 

Levi ignored the calls from his squad and his mutuals. His hand reached up and gripped his breast pocket, feeling for the scale inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHITS STARTIN TO SPEED UP  
> YAY ACTUAL PLOT  
> oh geez.  
> What have I become. 
> 
> It didn't even occur to me until a few hours ago that I forgot to upload a chapter. Then it occurred to me that hey. 
> 
> I didn't write a fucking chapter. 
> 
> This wasn't necessarily last minute, I had it planned, I just never got around to writing it until now. Rest assured, it wasn't rushed. Besides, I am A++ at last minute assignments.
> 
> Heheh.
> 
> Thanks for all the love and support guys! The series is almost overrrr *drags hands down face and squeals*
> 
> WERE ALMOST DONE! 
> 
> I will see you all next week! Have a fantastic week, Later lovelys


	32. Dragon In The Rye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright this ones kinda short because I've been sick all week and I've had absolutly no drive to write. Where my ice cream

Levi cantered through the overgrown hay field. His eyes scanned the area hopefully. Looking for something, some kind of sign. A dent of pressed down hay, another scale, paw prints, disruption in the trees, anything at this point. But only silence greeted him at every turn.  
His stomach started churning. Did he make a bad choice by leaving the expedition? Maybe he should go back. No, don't go back. You don't even know where you are. Levi sighed and let his reins slack. 

He let Cobalt wander for a while, finding himself steering around thick tree trunks when the horse waltzed into the forest. He just kept thinking. More specifically about how he got into this mess. Levi started out with nothing, and was granted with even more nothing the farther along he went in his life. He learned early on that nothing in life was free, and everything was temporary. There was no such thing as a happy ending, only a good beginning to a bad story. So of course it came of no surprise to him when _________ came and went like a spring flower. 

But he was just so tired of this. Part of him wanted to sit on the floor and stab the ground with his blades until he felt content, but the other half of him scolded himself for even thinking he could keep just one thing. One thing was all he wanted to himself. Levi still looked for it. Stability, something guaranteed. Something solid. Something he never had. Maybe it was selfish to want something like that. But he didn't care. Was it so bad to be selfish? Selfishness got people a long ways where he came from. 

But who needed companionship when one had a nice, clean broom waiting at home in the supply closet?

\---

Thick trees lined the river that cut through most of the forest. It was easy to find fish in here, large fish that were worth the time and effort for a nice meal. _______ walked slowly to the bank and dropped to the cool sand. The glow had long faded from her hide, but her wounds were still dripping a bright crimson. Her regeneration was weak. She dipped her mouth to the water and gulped greedily. 

________ was thoroughly disgusted with herself. She didn't even care about Levi or any of that freedom crap anymore. She had bigger problems. Her uncontrollable urges were all of them. She had never felt this before. She never experienced any sort of power like this at all, not even at her angriest points. It frustrated her to no end, she had no clue how to control it, or make it work in her favor. She was getting really good at predicting it, but prevention was out of the question.s

It usually started off with a soft tingle in her stomach. Then it would crawl up her throat and evolve into a burning sensation. Then her vision would sharpen, so much so that she could see a flea crawling on a blade of grass miles away. Her sense of smell would magnify the smallest things. She could smell a dead squirrel hundreds of miles away. Her hearing was magnified and her hunger became ravenous. Her hide would start to glow, and pain would spark all over her body. She has no memory after this stage. She would come to her senses usually shaking and surrounded by chaos. It was terrifying. 

It was worse when she first left the walls. She would lose control about 6 times a day. Now, it only happened once every few days. But it was still too much. Her wounds never had enough time to heal. _______ was covered in gashes and fresh blood almost all the time. The very smell of blood was nauseating now. 

She caught whiff of prey nearby, and was silently grateful that it was her normal senses picking it up. The dragon lifted her head slowly, mouth dripping with water from the river. _______ lifted her head high and flared her nostrils, sniffing rapidly. Her brow furrowed. This wasn't her usual deer or wolf. Her eyes widened a fraction as her head lowered. She recognized this smell. She turned and looked into the dark masses of tree trunks, her eyes scanning the forest floor. 

They're here.

\---

_______ leapt across the tree branches, moving swiftly through the treetops as her contracted pupils scanned the forest. The scent only grew stronger. A wide path carved by a dried up riverbed expanded the entire length of the forest and provided easy access to the other side. A green whip caught her eye and she slowed. There they were. She pounced over a particularly high branch in her path, but her eyes never left the formation. ________ came across the back of the formation, the rear guard protecting the supply carts not to far ahead.

Excitedly, she pushed forward and passed the front and middle guards. The front was in view. And so was Levi. She almost cried out to him, but watched Levis behavior change. Petra took his spot while he rode up beside Erwin and eventually sprinting ahead of the expedition. Curious, she followed him . . . All the way to a burnt clearing. ________ skidded to a halt and clung to a thick branch with all fours. Levi rode through the scorched grass and trees, studying the ruins beneath him. The rest of the expedition followed in soon afterwards. The soldiers filed in and gaped at the destruction. 

________ bowed her head in shame as she watched Levi dismount and study her kill. Erwin lightly tapped a burnt log with his foot, the wood crumbling under his light touch. Hanji scanned the ground for tracks, but _______ knew there wouldn't be any. 

I did this. 

Suddenly, Levi leapt onto his horse and took off southeast. A bunch of people called after him, but nobody followed him. Were they just going to let him go? All by himself, to get killed? In a spur of the moment decision, _______ bolted through the trees again, scaling the edge of the forest to avoid being seen. Her claws suddenly dug into a branch and stopped herself. What is she doing? 

She looked around at the chaos before her. The damage she caused. She could do the same to him. What if she loses control again? What if she kills him, or the whole survey corps? _______ watched Levis form disappear. Growling, she whipped around and tore off in the opposite direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i plan to prewrite everything this week so that I have a timeline for when the FIC ends. All I know is that it will be very very soon. It might not even make it to my spring break *april 5th* so we'll see how it goes???? IM SO EXCITED FOR THE END
> 
> BUT I do have one thing to say. I would not be here if it were not for the readers and the kudos and comments that I get every single day. Since August I've had so much love and support thrown my way. Honestly it's so awesome I want to cry. I can't thank you all enough. 
> 
> I'll see you all next week with a *hopefully* longer chapter! Have a great one, and happy spring break to all you lucky ducks. :)


	33. Funny How This Didn't Turn Out The Way I Hoped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS ONLY 8:30 SUNDAY NIGHT STOP STOP STOP IM DOING THIS

Cadets and superiors bustled about the scorched patch of ground. Mike stopped his horse and sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing. He turned his head softly towards the forest edge and scanned the treetops. He glared suspiciously at a specific tree. A branch cracked, followed by a blur of black as its disturber fled. He hummed to himself and smirked.

 

It didn't take long for Erwin to order an immediate search for the Raven. But by the time they had spread out, the trail was cold. He was nowhere to be seen, and Titans were starting to appear more often. The sky faded from a cheery blue to a dark lavender, forcing the expedition to fall back and take cover in the forest. The search would have to continue tomorrow.

\---

________ flew for a good while to ensure that she wasn't being followed. She didn't really feel like putting up Erwin at the moment. The very thought that they were in her forest excited her, but also concerned her. Her new claimed territory was far out of normal expedition grounds. She made sure to prevent the two territories from overlapping. Somehow, they wandered out of their territory and into hers. A small growl rumbled in her chest. They kidnapped her from her old home, gave her a new one, forced her out of it, then let her re-establish territory, only to invade it again? Sheesh.

The dragon landed on a thick tree branch and needed the wood softly with her paws. She curled up with one leg hanging lazily off the branch, hoping to fit in a small nap. Sighing in content, her eyes slipped shut and her senses dulled.

_A black blur shot through the steel hallway. Voices shouted and screamed behind her. Heavy footsteps clattered somewhere in the distance. Were they behind her? They would stay there. Were they in front of her? She would kill them. She rounded a corner, her claws scratching at the metal and the side of her body slamming into the wall with a dull thud._

_The end of the hallway was met with another hallway that ran left and right. Panicking, the dragon stopped and danced around as she tried to decide which way to go. Something whizzed past her ear. The animal ducked and cried out as something sharp impaled the metal just inches above her head. Horrified eyes studied the heavy dart that stuck out of the wall and oozed a bright green substance. Her heart rammed against her ribs and threatened to break out of its bone cage. The heavy footsteps and shouting forced her to make a decision on the left hall._

_The exit was nowhere to be found. She felt like she'd been running for hours since she broke out of that hellish room. Every corner was linked to a longer hallway. Every doorway was connected to another lab, which held more specimens and experiments just like her. Finally, she turned another sharp corner and was met with a hopeful sight. A large, thick iron door at the end of the hall boasted an important looking spin lock on the front. This had to be it. She sped up and lengthened her stride, charging a blast._

_The door was blown off, the dragon bursting from the cloud of debris and looking around in a panic. Her stomach dropped as she looked around, at what she realized was not freedom. It was a large iron room with vaulted ceilings. Weapons of all sorts were hung neatly on the walls. Some had large spikes and others had containers with curious liquids that she knew were meant to seriously maim their opponent. In short; she was trapped._

_The heavy footsteps and screaming got closer and closer. The dragon whirled around, the plates lining her jawline flaring in alarm. Her ears pinned as heavily armored figures filled the room with weapons charged and aimed. The animal barred her teeth, backing up slowly. The figures pressed closer and closer. Bright blue balls of electricity glowed from the end of the charged weapons._

_Roaring, she spat fire at the crowd, but knew it would do no good. They emerged unharmed from the flames. Of course the gear was fire resistant. She backed up and snarled, unsheathing her claws and spreading her wings. Her tail lashed to the side and fanned the fins on the end. Shots began to whizz in her direction. She bolted out of the way, ducking under and over the blasts and firing some of her own._

_A blue blur caught the corner of her eye just in time for the electric mass to slam into her side. The energy sent her flying backwards into the wall. The wall trembled as the impact ricocheted along the metal. Searing pain gripped her entire body as she tried to stand. Weapons of all sorts plummeted from the wall above her and smashed on her hide. The dragon cried out in pain, lurching forward._

_All at once, the electric weapons began to fire. Blast after blast let out an ear piercing wail as it exploded on her skin. She curled into s tight ball, failing to seal herself away from the pain._

_Stop it, stop it_

_Electricity pulsed up and down her spine, spreading through her shaking legs and fanning out her toes._

_Stop it stop i stop it_

_She could feel her insides squishing and tearing. Gut wrenching pain forced blood up her throat in a forced vomit. She should be dead. But she wasn't._

_ENOUGH._

_A mixture of blood and blue fire exploded from the dragons jaws. She writhed around in pain, the fire spreading through the room. Pained squeals and cries filled the room as man and beast alike were engulfed in the hot flames. The heat licked at her open wounds. Through squinted eyes, she could see the armor melting to the guards bodies, forcing pained cries from their throats as they clawed helplessly at the molten material. They dropped to the floor in screaming bundles. Their cries slowly dying out as they slipped out of the world._

_Through the pain and heavy breathing, she saw her opening. The dragon hobbled out of the room, paying no attention to the fire. The leathery hide was good for fire protection. She nursed a paw as she stumbled into the hallway, looking left and right before deciding right._

\---

 

Levi walked his horse through the under brush. The animal grew tired a small while ago, so he hopped off and gave the poor thing a break. As they walked, something growled nearby. The horse went on alert and stopped moving. Levi narrowed his eyes when the growling came again, only louder this time. The horse danced on his toes and Levi tugged on the reins. They walked on, the growling getting louder and louder until Levi was sure they were right on top of it.

Or right below it.

Levi looked up, jolting when the familiar black figure was sleeping restlessly on a heavy branch. She appeared to be dreaming, her back leg kicking out as she growled in her sleep. He could hear the claws on her front paws sheathing and unsheathing and digging into the soft wood. He threw the reins over the horses head and activated his gear into the tree. He was standing right in front of her face and extremely surprised that she hadn't woken up.

"Hey, you going to make me wake you up?" He called. Her eyes flew open, the pupils contracting. She jumped backwards and extended her claws, stretching her wings and snarling, but her anger fell as she studied Levi more.

"I've been looking all over for you, idiot. Do you realize that we've been trying to hunt you down for two days now?" Levi allowed a small smile for himself.

Her reaction was not one that he expected. The animal backed away slowly, alarming Levi. He stepped forward, but she flinched back and shook her head softly.

"________?" He called. She pinned her ears and hissed. Levi looked hurt, but stepped forward and held out a hand. At this, the dragon shook her head and took off. The captain immediately activated his gear to go after her, but the 3DMG won't work in mid air. From a treetop, he watched her disappear into the clouds.

\---

By the time they found Levi, a day and a half later, their supplies were low and they suffered a considerable blow to their manpower. 23 men and women were lost in the last 24 hours alone. With this, Erwin decided to set course for home. On the journey back, they lost 5 more men.

\---

Levi threw his jacket to the floor and quickly unbuttoned his shirt. A hot bath steamed invitingly in front of him. After a long and dirty expedition, a bath was welcome, hot or cold. He sank beneath the surface and wet his head, surfacing for air and shaking his hair. A sponge and a bar of soap was grabbed from the side of the tub and Levi went to work on harshly scrubbing his skin almost red.

_Why did she flinch like that?_

His fingers massaged his scalp and worked the soft smelling shampoo into a comfortable lather. He dumped a bucket over his head to rinse, rinsing over and over until there was no more soap.

_I thought she would be happy to see us, to see me. Maybe I was right._

He ran the cloth in small circles over his cheek, hissing and dunking his head under the water when some of the lather stung his eye.

 _Maybe she never wanted this. And she doesn't want to come back_.

The towel was somewhat scratchy against his red-rubbed skin. But he didn't care, much. He ran the towel over his head and rubbed his locks dry.

 _Of course I was right. I knew I was right. And yet, I don't feel right_.

The Raven locked his door and felt for the knife under his pillow, climbing into bed tiredly. He turned over and let his head sink into the pillow. Through the parted curtains framing his window, he could see the stars glinting in the sky above. The full moon shines bright amongst them, so much larger and different than the stars.

_I feel lonely._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh. 
> 
> It's late Sunday night and I'm uploading late in the day because I went to a huge party for a friend yesterday and I'm sore all over because I have never danced. Day in my life and IT WAS GREAT. I highly reccomend dancing. It's great for working them muscles. So you can grow big and strong like levi. 
> 
> OKAY. SO. Tbh I have no idea when thi will end. Maybe soon, maybe later. I'm kinda procrastinating the end because i don't want it to end, but it has to eventually.  
> *sigh.* Spring break is soon, I'll take the time over spring break to go through the story and lay down some stuff. And maybe do some prewriting and just get my shit together. 
> 
> See you all next weekend! Have a great week! :)


	34. Hey guys

Hey guys. 

Uh, I just kinda felt like I needed to say this. Very recently, I lost a classmate who died in an accident a few days ago. It was a huge blow to the community and to us as a mixed family of students. So I just wanted to hop on here and say that I hope you guys are all having great weeks, and you are being safe and living a good life and I hope you are all in a good spot right now. You are all loved very much. Please take some extra time tonight to tell your friends and family that you love them, because they can be taken from you in an instant. Throw your dog a bone, pet your cat, hug your parents/guardians, text your friend, just thank them all in general.

And very importantly, know that you are a big part of a big world, and that nobody ever goes unnoticed. You all mean something, you are all valuable, and worth it. Live every day with a smile on your face. Cherish the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair and the ground beneath your feet and feel the life that is within you and surrounding you. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. If you can do it today, then do it now. And remember that you are alive and breathing and that's a beautiful thing.

And yes, if something did happen to you, you would be missed. Very dearly. Please be safe out there, guys. i hate to add a grim moment to everything, but I just felt like this needed to be said. 

This weekends chapter might be a little short or bland depending on how this week goes. I've never really been one to cope with a loss well. 

Be careful out there, you all. I mean it.

-Edit: Easter Sunday (April 5th.)   
I'm sorry guys. No chapter today. Busy week, a classmates funeral, and not a whole lot of time to prep a chapter. I will get on it tomorrow, and hopefully have it out by Wednesday. I just needed a little while to get my ducks in line. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Happy Easter all!


	35. In Or Out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY ILL EXPLAIN LATER JUST READ. EXTRA LONG CHAPTER.

She can't remember when she stopped flying. But judging by the throbbing pain in her ribs, she didn't have a good landing. She stood on the riverbank and stared at her own reflection. Cicadas all around her rose and fell with a crackling song. Quite an ugly sound, if you ask her.

 _They all saw. They all saw the horrible little mess I made_. The dragon snorted to herself. _How pathetic am I, huh? I bet Hanji had a hell of a time figuring out when I mauled that poor horse. I don't even like horse._

He saw her. He found her. But how? He was probably so ashamed of her. She was ashamed of her. But the look on his face . . . What could I say it was? Hope? No, it was something different. There was a lonely cry to it, a longing. But what could he possibly find in a stupid animal. For gods sake, she wasn't that important. She's caused more harm than good, really. And how was she supposed to make up for it? Apologize? Yeah, sorry I kinda destroyed part of your precious cities and did nothing to help your case, oh yeah, and how I put your best soldier into a coma with severe injuries and injured another valuable soldier. Sorry that I jeopardized pretty much every single mission we went on. Sorry that I fucked up hardcore on everything. Sorry that I made you fight for me, sorry that you lost that fight, sorry for the hassle.

I'm sorry you found me in the first place.

Her best bet was just to stay out of their way. To get back to her life. But she'd been trying for months to get back to that. Months. And she was still in the same place she was when she was left out here. Lost.

She knew of only one place where she ever fit in. A horrible place. A rumbling shiver raced down her spine, the rounded spines humming. She remembered the place well. She knew its halls and the horrible, awful smells it contained. The never ending cries and distorted screeches that echoed still in her ears. Her claws dug into the grass. She could still feel metal under her paws, the faintly cold kiss lingering like a bad taste on her tongue. The dragon pinned her ears and shook. Never again.

Lifting her head, the animal stared into the treetops. The sky was darkening. My, what an odd day. She bent and took a generous swig of water then flew up to a high branch. The dragon spun and flopped down, letting out a sigh as she rested her head between her paws. Tomorrow, she decided, she would forget all about them.

 

\---

 

A boot tapped restlessly against the floorboards, it's twin perched on the rim of the bed frame. Levis own mixed emotions were starting to drive him through the roof. He had a job to focus on, but he couldn't focus anymore. Bring her back, defend her freedom. For the better of humanity, or for the sake of a friend. This was where emotions and logic hit a crossroads like a carriage collision. He knew what was best for humanity, and if she was a possible answer to their problems, by all means, let's bring the best in. But at the same time, was it really right to disrupt her life for our own gain? Was it right to rip the dragon away from everything it knows and change its routine just for the benefit of an entirely different species?

This is where Levi struggled to find an answer. He didn't have the answer to everything. Damn, he wished he did, but he doesn't. The man jumped up from his bed and pulled on his jacket as he left the room. After all, breakfast in the mess hall was being served. The captain strode into the large cafeteria and took his seat at the higher ups table. His squad entered soon after, taking seats around him. Levi sipped on his usual tea and watched the room slowly fill.

The man tuned out the chatter and focused on his tea. The black liquid swirled and for a second he could see the flick of a tail slip into the depths of the cup. In his jacket pocket, he could feel the faint heavy ness of the two objects inside. He was tempted to take out one of the scales, but he knew he wouldn't without attracting attention from his squad.

"You won't find any answers in there." Levi blinked and looked up. Petra folded her arms on the table and nodded to the cup. "You've been staring into it for a while."

"I wish I could. Sure would make everything easier on me." The Raven mumbled. He looked back down into the cup. His tea was no longer hot, a mere lukewarm at best. Disgusted, he put it down and folded his arms.

"Don't we all." She hummed. "I would ask what's on your mind, but I think I already know."

"I just wish I knew what to do. What's right, and what's going to screw us all over in the end." He leaned back in the chair a little.

"Captain, you know what's right, that's why you went on the mission. Why you insisted that you went. You know that bringing her here was the best option at the time, and it still is. You can't protect her by leaving her out there to destroy everything in her path. It's doing her more harm than good, you know that. She needs this as much as we need her here."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "So whose words are these? You're own?"

"Yes." But something in her tone said otherwise.

"And yet these words have been said to me before." He suppressed a snarl, but it trickled out. "So now the question is who recruited you to say all this?"

"Nobody, sir I-"

Levi stood and slammed his hands on the table. The mess hall went silent around them. " _You just lied to me. To my face_. This discussion is over." The Raven spun and stormed out of the mess hall. He could hear the running footsteps behind him as he shut and locked the door to his office. Rapid knocking echoed from behind the thick door.

"Captain, please open up!"

"I said this discussion is over!" He yelled.

"I'm not finished with what I have to say, sir!"

"Your words are not your own and I have no time for them. Get away from my office." He hissed.

"Then give me a chance to say what I feel!"

He swung the door open and gripped the doorframe. "Is this what they've resorted to? Sending members of my own squad to try and persuade me like a child? It's insulting. It's disgusting. The fact that you agreed to it disgusts me." Petra cowered slightly under his menacing gaze. "Who's side are you on?"

The redhead stared up at him, anger slowly tearing it's way into her words. "Who's side do you think? I'm not allowed to pick sides, because I don't have a choice. My side is whatever side you're on. That was decided the day I was moved into special operations. And now that you've heard their side of the story I'll tell you mine. Our other option is to let her destroy the world were fighting for, and maybe, someday, the human race itself. There's no telling what kind of power she could use against us in the wrong state of mind. There's nothing stopping her from coming back to the walls and destroying us all. In her current condition, this dragon is a slave to her own mind. A slave to the power inside her. We can free her from that if we train her and help her control it so that we can use it to our advantage. This is your answer Levi, _She_ is your answer."

His gaze softened ever so slightly. His white knuckle grip on the door slackened. He stepped away from the door slowly and Petra invited herself in, closing the door. Petra's voice lowered and she stepped forward, lacing her hands together. "To put it short, sir, there are no sides. You're in or you're out and whichever one you choose this is going to happen because it needs to."

Levi settled against a bookshelf and sighed as he crossed his arms. "I don't need to tell you what you already know. But I feel like you needed that reminder. There's nothing else any of us can say, sir. The rest is up to you. Whatever decision you make, we'll be right behind you. But it's time to make that decision now. You've been on the fence for too long. So what do you say, in, or out?"

The captain stared at Petra for a long time. She was right. Everyone was. He sighed heavily and looked out the window, mumbling under his breath. Petra stepped closer. "What was that, sir?"

"I said I'm in. You're right. I've been back and forth for too long." Petra smiled softly. "Now go on, I have paperwork to do."

The redhead saluted and spun on her heel. She had just placed her hand on the door when Levi called after her. She turned with a questioning gaze.

"Tell Hanji that if she ever tries this again, I'll wring her little messenger like a wet towel." Shivering and nodding, she smiled nervously and left the room.

Levi leaned back in his chair and swung an arm over his eyes. Months spent flitting indecisively between right and wrong and his own squad mate just pressed him against the wall to choose. He was going soft.

\---

"Of course he figured it out, Hanji." Petra sat on the edge of the woman's desk in her underground lab.

"I bet he didn't look too happy once he figured out we were in kahoots." The brunette laughed, spinning around in her chair.

The redhead shivered. "Not at all. I bet you saw his little performance in the mess hall." Hanji swiveled around in her chair and laughed.

" _THATS_ what that was about?" Petra nodded. "Pro tip: he just gets scarier up close."

The brunette continued her spinning, all the while giggling softly. "Well. Thanks for your help, Petra. Sorry for throwing you under the carriage."

The redhead hopped off the desk and waved over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. "Anytime, Hanji."

\---

Erwin knocked on the wooden door and returned his hand to his side.

"State your name and business." Levi called.

"It's me." Erwin replied.

There was a small silence. "Come in."

Erwin let himself in and closed the door. Levi sat at his desk, quill pen perched in his hand and occasionally dipped into the ink pot. When Erwin stood before his desk, he retired the pen and stared expectantly up at the blonde.

"Hanji told me." Was all he said. Levi surprised a small laugh. Of course Hanji told him. The whole idea behind her plan was to tell Erwin everything. In the midst of the pause, Erwin took a seat across from his desk. Levis eyes followed the man like hawk.

"The next expedition date will be in a month. July 31st." Erwin announced.

"Alright." Levi replied. His lack of reaction didn't surprise Erwin, really. The two of them sat in tense silence.

"Is that all you came to tell me?" Levi asked, his irritation showing.

"No."

"Get on with it then. I don't have a lot of time for tea parties. Especially now that I have another stack of shitting expedition paperwork to get started on."

"I wanted to ask if it was true. That you really did decide." Erwin watched Levi push aside a document.

"Yes. I did."

"That's good." The blonde saw no opening for any more conversation and stood to leave. "I'm glad to see that you're on board, Levi."

Levi only hummed in response and picked his pen back up. Erwin stopped at the door and turned around. "Levi." He called.

A pair of eyes flicked in his direction. "Thank you." The pen scratched to a halt. Erwin turned the knob and left.

"Whatever." The Raven mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK. So as some of you know if you read the info thingy, I lost a classmate two weeks ago, and I spent the following week walking around in a daze. I attended the funeral and logged into my account Sunday morning only to realize that I had nothing to post. So I said I would get a chapter out Wednesday but my time did not allow for that. So Thursday I spent the ENTIRE DAY writing. Like 14 hours straight of writing. 
> 
> Sorry about last weeks missing chapter D: now I'm better prepared for an absense as I have everything planned and written out and ready to post. 
> 
> Y'all are crazy with the kudos and the bookmarks and the comments and I love all of youuuuuu. Your feedback gives me life. 
> 
> See you all next week! Have a safe and fantastic week! I won't. Because school starts back up on Monday for me. T.T


	36. Aurora Borealis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. An actual chapter on an actual Sunday for the first time in weeks.
> 
> I'm surprised none of yall have hunted me down yet.

*Time jump to the expedition.*

So far, they found no trace of the dragon. Not a single scale on the ground. No freshly charred forest, no dead animals, nothing. Levis horse lazily walked the perimeter of the camp. The sky was darkening quickly, so Levi and his squad went sent out to scout the perimeter of their temporary forest base. Petra rode up beside Levi.

"Don't worry, sir. She's around here somewhere." The girl said hopefully.

Levi clicked his tongue. "Did Hanji tell you to say that too?" Petra reached over and slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Are you still on that?!" She cried. Levi hid a small smirk and pressed his horse forward.

Levi lay awake in his tent that night, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. She was out here somewhere. Hiding. In the treetops, in the bushes, or maybe above the clouds. She was just out of reach, and that annoyed him. He turned over and sighed heavily. They would have better luck tomorrow. This five day expedition would be worth something in the end.

\---

23 killed. 30 wounded. 4 MIA. 57 in total.

The scruffy and unkept soldiers walked their exhausted horses through the wooden gates. Hooves clapped on the cobblestone path as their riders avoided the gazes of many citizens gathered around to greet the soldiers upon their return. But their welcome was less than friendly.

"We're the lives lost beneficial to humanity?!"

"Commander, tell us they did not die for nothing!"

"My sons life was lost, did his death prove anything?!"

Levis squad kept their heads bowed as the townspeople were especially cruel to them. They pulled on their cloaks and shouted obscenities at them. Levi snarled at the merchant that reached out a hand for his own cloak, and swatted at the hand of another who reached out for Gunthers.

The Raven went back to his room after a hot bath and threw his gear on the floor. He crawled into bed and pressed his face into the pillow. His arms ached. His spine threatened to claw its way out of his back. He felt sick to his stomach, like he ate something bad. Which was weird, because he hadn't eaten in a day.

The mission was unsuccessful. From day one, they found nothing. Not a single leaf or twig out of place. It worried him, to say the least. He hoped for her safe return by the end of the expedition. He hoped that he could just get it back to the way it was. Just to calm everything down and have a stable piece of ground to stand on for the first time in a while. The Raven lifted his head and looked to his bedside table. A wooden box he bought for himself sat patiently on the dark wood table top. His hand reached out and slowly opened the small box, looking at its contents.

A small lock of red hair tied neatly into a bunch with a white ribbon. A bloody patch, whose owners name was written on the back with much care and precision. A picture, drawn for him by a random soldier girl who passed the time by drawing. It was a rather good drawing of him and his two friends. He smiled softly and brushed his hand over the glass that protected it from harm. In the very bottom of the box, two onyx scales gleamed up at him. He took one in his hand and placed the photo gingerly back into the box.

Levi stood and walked to his window, pushing it open and looking up at the stars. He turned the cool scale over and over in his hand.

"Where are you?" He mumbled.

\---

A year and a half passed. And in that time, 3 more expeditions. All with no sign of the dragon. Levi had accepted at the end of the third expedition that she wasn't going to be found. But he said nothing. If he knew that she wasn't coming back, then so did Erwin. Why the man pressed forward was beyond Levi. They lost many, they gained new recruits. Few, but every soldier helped. They came every August.

The captain stepped into the cold December air and pulled his coat tighter around himself. He needed to take a trip out to town. Christmas was right around the corner. He didn't care for it much himself, but his squad seemed to celebrate it. This year, Levi figured he would get them small gifts. Just as a silent thank you for their service and companionship.

He stopped in a few shops and found what he wanted along the way. Of course, it was absolutely crawling with people. He practically had to push people to get where he needed to be. But in the end, he was pretty satisfied with his winnings.

He managed to find 5 bottles of high quality beer. There wasn't enough in them to get drunk off your ass, only enough for celebration. Cost him a pretty handsome amount of money, but he figured that christmas only came around once a year, and he might not get another chance to celebrate it with them. Levi was on his way back when a store caught his eye. He ducked in, coming out with a small bag, and returned back to HQ, where he hid his gifts inside his closet. For the next two weeks, every soldier was on leave. They were allowed to visit family for the holidays, or for those that had none, stay in the barracks.

Levi blinked, and suddenly, it was Christmas Day. A few of the younger cadets had taken it upon themselves to hang mistletoe around the castle. They thought it was funny and cute, but Levi avoided the plants like they were poison. More than a few times that day he had to kick the asses of a few men who tried to force girls under the mistletoe. In which he would tell them all the same thing; "if you want something to kiss, the floor has been there all day."

At one point even Hanji tried the mistletoe with Levi. He knew she meant it as a joke, but still chased her around the courtyard. Crazy woman.

Christmas dinner was the main attraction for the day, always held in the mess hall. Levi walked the main hall slowly and stared out the windows, paperbag in hand. The sun was just starting to set behind the wall. But as he approached the door, he heard noise coming from inside. Music. They never had music. The captain pushed open the mess hall door and got a face full of paper confetti.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, LEVI!" Hanji laughed. Spitting, Levi shook it off and studied Hanji with narrowed eyes. She had a red hat on that slumped over with a white ball at the end.

"What are you wearing." He asked, fighting off laughter.

"Jealous~~?" She teased, wiggling her shoulders and batting at the end of the hat.

"Hardly." He scoffed. Just then, Petra popped up behind Hanji wearing the same hat.

Levis shoulders sagged. "Not you too." Hanji and Petra giggled and Hanji thumbed over to the rest of Levis squad in the corner, who all had the red monstrosity perched on their heads. Hanji pulled a hat from behind her and plopped it on Levis head.

"Now you match your squad!" She chimed. "Go on!" The squad leader pushed Levi gently towards his squad.

Petra accompanied him to table, and he was greeted with happy cheers from the men. Levi sat at the head of the table and pulled the bottles out of the bag, handing them out to his men.

"Those are small, small tokens of thanks." He explained as they gaped at the bottles.

"Captain . . ." Eldo pointed at the label. Levi popped his open and everyone did the same. They rose their bottles in a toast.

"Thank you all for your years of service." He nodded.

"And for many years to come, sir!" Oluo piped up. The bottles clanked together and they all took a healthy swig.

Levi looked around him. Everyone was laughing and smiling. Not a frown to be seen. Cheerful music played by a few towns musicians, a few soldiers dancing merrily in front of the band. Gifts were exchanged, and jokes were tossed across the table. It was a beautiful sight, really. Everyone was distracted from the woes of life and just carrying on. Levi wanted to see more of this. He wanted to live in this moment forever.

"Woah, Captain Levi is smiling!"

Instead of the expected silence, excited cheers erupted from the crowd. Everyone raised a glass and some shot a thumbs up in his direction.

"Oh come on, guys." He stifled a laugh. The crowd turned to a roar of laughter and conversation started back up.

From the other side of the room, Erwin caught his eye and raised a glass in his direction. Levi paused and raised his bottle with a nod.

The night was over far too quickly. The band left and everyone filed out to the barracks. Somewhere along his walk back to his room, Levi stopped and perched his arms on a windowsill to stare up at the sky. A bright and impressive array of colors wove their way across the night sky. It glittered and seemed to wave softy like a water current.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Petra appeared and smiled up at the sky.

"You've got a nasty habit of popping up with im thinking." He hummed.

The girl chuckled. "You've got a nasty habit of thinking too deep when I'm around." The two stood in silence for a while just watching the colors.

"Aurora Borealis." She said. Levi scrunched his brow. "What?"

"Aurora Borealis. I read in a book when I was a child about this phenomenon. Apparently it's rare. How lucky are we that it would turn up on Christmas night?" Levi hummed, his eyes widening a fraction.

"Oh, I forgot about this." Levi pulled a small box from his pocket and held it out to the girl. She took it, puzzled.

"A small thank you. For everything." He turned back to the window. Petra gasped as she pulled a bracelet from the box.

"Captain, it's gorgeous! This is too much I-"

"Take it. You deserve it. It's garnet."

She attached it onto her right wrist and held it up to the sky. The colors seemed to dance off of the gently polished stones. She smiled brightly and gently touched a stone. "Thank you so much, sir."

Levi nodded and pushed away from the windowsill. "Goodnight, Petra. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas sir." She called as he walked away. She watched as he disappeared into the nights shadows and then leaned back against the windowsill. Softly, she looked up to the hanging plant tacked to the frame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK OK I JUST ENJOY FLUFF IT DOESNT MEAN ANYTHING INJUST NEEDEDTHEFULLFF FFF
> 
> Yeah I know it's April but I was feeling kinda down and levi needed a break so I fIgured 'hey let's throw a huge ass Christmas party because why not.' 
> 
> BTW small changes made to chapters 32 and 33, please check them out if you get a moment. 
> 
> That's all for this week! Thanks so much for reading and being patient with me for these past few weeks X.X some of you might have finals coming up, I have no idea, but TIS the season! I wish you all the best of luck on those devil tests. I'll be taking my own soon *nervous laughter* Have a fantastic week, I'll see you all next Sunday for sure!


	37. Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyy  
> Welcome back!

Another 6 months, another expedition, another return empty handed. The object of the mission was long forgotten, and now treated like a regular expedition. Only days after their return, Zackley requested the presence of the survey corps commander in his office in Sina. 

Levi followed out of the carriage out front the large building. Two MPs dared to glare at Levi, who glared back and earned a deadly frightened response. The soldiers followed the MPs to the double wooden doors. One of the police knocked twice.

"Name and business."

"Sir, I have Commander Smith and Captain Levi here for the meeting." The girl called.

"Let them in." Zackley called back.

She pushed the doors open and let the two in, slamming them at their heels. Erwin approached the Commander In Cheifs desk and nodded, Levi taking his seat beside Erwin. 

"Welcome you two. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I am aware that your time is extremely limited and that your duties are consuming at the moment." Zackley began. 

The man patted a bulging portfolio on his desk, one Levi eyed warily. "In this portfolio lies the copies of death certificates of fallen Survey Corps soldiers. There are 138 certificates. Each one is different." His hand shifted through the papers, whisking one out and folding it out in front of him. 

"Lauren Falls. 23 years old, dismembered." He pulled out a second one. 

"Franz Koch. 25 years old, torn in half." 

"This one was particularly young. Brian Alloy. 17, MIA." His gaze rested on their faces as he returned the certificates to the portfolio. 

"Six expeditions. And nothing to show for it. Six expeditions. And 138 front doors to visit. I'm not saying that it is any fault of yours, but I'm afraid we can't afford to continue on like this. As of now, our search and recovery missions are to be discontinued following our next, assuming it will be unsuccessful." Zackley announced. 

Levi could feel a twist in his chest. He knew this was going to happen. No matter how many expeditions they went on, they couldn't find something that didn't want to be found. He could hear Erwin mumble something, and suddenly eyes were on him. The Raven gritted his teeth and forced his face to stay straight. 

"I understand sir."

"What about Hanjis project?" Erwin asked. The black horse was miraculously successful. Trained successfully with a few quirks here and there. The successful taming of the parasite proved Hanjis whole theory correct, and many more along the process. The horse aided them on their last expedition and saved over 15 lives. 

"I've had nothing but good word. It seems to be safe enough. It can be kept, but I want it under close monitoring until we're 100% sure." Zackley told him. 

"One more thing. About this parasite. I'm sure it's still around, yes?"

Erwin nodded. The parasite was forced into a dormant state by Hanjis new discovery of a freezing technique that halts life and can be brought back at a later time. It's been kept under lock and key, guarded by two soldiers at all times to prevent misuse. 

"I've been thinking about it. There are two ways to go about this. One, we continue to keep it under lock and key and risk it being stolen. Or two, we destroy it completely. I don't think I have to tell you what could happen if it slipped into the wrong hands." Erwin looked at Levi and then back at Zackley. 

"At the current moment," Erwin began. "We have no means of successfully destroying the parasite. We don't know if it can even be killed. We never attempted to produce a method out of fear that it would get stronger or possibly mutate. If you request it, I'm sure we could start working soon."

Zackley held up a hand. "No need, Smith. Just keep it around for now. But that is venerable to change." Erwin nodded in understanding. 

"Well, gentlemen, that's all I needed to discuss with you. I appreciate your cooperation and understanding." Zackley shook both of their hands as they stood from their chairs.

\---

The door shut and the carriage lurched forward. Levi stared out the window. Erwin stared at his hands.

The ride back was quiet. A small exchange of words was made when they left the carriage and parted ways, and Levi was quiet all the way back to his room. Once again he found himself digging through the wooden box on his nightstand for a folded napkin, which he unfolded and retrieved the two little black scales from inside. 

He sat down on his bed and felt the silence. How he had grown to dislike silence. It lets your mind wander and think. Horrible thoughts, happy ones, an old memory resurfaced. Levi rubbed his thumb over one of the scales. He missed the way they used to mirror a comfortable heat. He missed the way they glittered in the sun and shined under the moonlight. How they rippled over thick muscle, spread across a goofy, smiling face, protected the body from harm. The action they've seen, the memories they hold. The scales were dull now, but levi still remember the day when they used to shine. 

Tears blurred his eyes, but he still kept on rubbing the scale. It wasn't long before he was rubbing his own tears onto the smooth surface. He would never see that dragon again. A happy time, short lived, dearly missed. He had two souvenirs for which he was grateful. But they were a lot better on the real thing. 

Levi placed the scales gingerly back in the cloth and folded it up, carefully placing it back into the box. He closed it and rolled into his bed. He buried his face in the pillow and pulled the blanket up and over him like a child. He didn't feel like doing the rest of his duties today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT  
> this Fic has art now.  
> KERNVSIDVKSVJDKHSKHDSGLJGSHFKNJFGJKVD  
> The wonderful and extremely talented LoneWolf5225 on Deviantart sketched this adorable picture of Levi and his dragon! Go check it out, it's so cute! 
> 
> Feedback is greatly appreciated, I love hearing from all of you :) kudos and comments just make my day! 
> 
> Sorry this chapter was kinda short, busy week lol. Have a safe and fantastic week, I'll see you all next Sunday!


	38. Red

A garrison soldier peered over the side of the wall. The area below was clear, all Titans have been led out of sight by brave soldiers who scaled the walls just out of their reach. The man nodded to himself and strode to the other side of the wall where he looked down at the impatient horses and riders lined up at the gates. The survey corps was back for their final search and recovery mission. Because, apparently, they learned nothing from their past missions.

The man shook his head and leaned back. He saw no point in this whole thing. It was bad enough the survey corps brought Titans back sometimes. But now they had their eyes on a new kind of prize. An unpredictable, flying, fire-breathing parasitic dragon.

Because why the fuck not.

He could have been a butcher or a shoe maker, or a roof repair man like his father. But no, he chose the military. So now he had orders to alert the commander in chief of the survey corps' little bird got out of the cage.

To be short, this isn't what he enlisted for.

He looked to the early morning sky and smiled softly. This is what he enlisted for. Soft purples and pinks were abruptly interrupted by half of a red sphere roaring up from the horizon. He could see over the trees for miles, birds soaring over the land effortlessly, never knowing the bars of a cage. The survey corps may get to see the world, but they'll never see it quite like this.

His friend tapped his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. Nodding, the man stood and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"ALL CLEAR!" At his word, the gates rumbled to life from below and the survey corps filed through to the outside world.

An incoming cackle gave the man only a few seconds warning before he leapt to the cold stone and covered his head. A large figure soared dangerously close to his head with a WOOSH.  
He looked up and scowled at the survey corps very own Hanji Zoe perched on the back of her science experiment, the parasitic horse named Thea.

"ONWARD!" The brunette pointed wildly with one hand as the horse let out a bellowing neigh and dove to the ground. They were two of a kind.

He walked to the edge of the wall and put a hand on his hip as he watch the formation slowly take shape. He looked at the sky and frowned.

"Hey, Carter, what was that old saying about the sky?" Carter twisted his face in confusion.

"What sky saying? Did you get enough sleep, Mac?"

"The _sky_ saying, you _know_ the one. You know, something like 'something sky at night, mans delight' or some shit."

His friend nodded in understanding. "It's 'Red sky in morning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.' Why? We ain't sailors."

"No," Mac shook his head. "But that suns awfully red."

\---

"Hey, you seen that sky this morning?!" Hanji yelled to Levi, who acknowledged her with the flick of the eyes. The brunette was soaring slightly overhead and to his right.

"It's so red!" She squealed happily. Levi nodded, keeping his eyes focused ahead.

"You seem kinda out of it, are you ok Levi?" Hanjis tone dropped to an almost inaudible call over the wind.

He said nothing, opting to act like she hadn't said anything. The brunette sighed and Levi knew that if they weren't riding, she'd give him a small slap on the shoulder right about now and tell him to cheer up. With a small smile, she turned back to her post and left the Raven to lead his squad in silence.

They appeared to be taking the same route they have the whole time. Through the plains, soft left and cut through the forest, make camp in the thick trees and circle around the large freshwater lake and back through the plains to the walls. Now, they were just approaching the forest. At the very beginning of the forest, a few swords stuck out of the ground with cloaks tied around the handles. A few expeditions ago, they lost quite a few men to a titan ambush right outside the forest. Their bloodstains were still visible on the grass.

Levi tried to ignore them as they disappeared into the forest, thankful to be in the clear for at least a little while. The forest was dimly lit by the very few rays of light that managed to reach through the thick treetops. He looked up into the dense branches. Shadows danced and played with his mind, forming wing tips that slipped out of his peripheral vision and into the darkness. A thick branch zipped past overhead, and faintly, Levi could feel the cold bark under his hands.

Temporary camp was made to allow a supplies check and allow the map makers to get their bearings. But with every stop over the past few missions, the map makers needed less and less time. Now, they didn't need any. There was just a small break for a lunch ration, and then everyone was back in the saddle.

As they rode out of the forest, Levi was surprised to see that it wasn't much brighter outside than it was under the cover of the trees. Thick, menacing clouds loomed over head and glided slowly through the air. Hanji looked up and hummed in awe, mouth slightly open. Thea uneasily twisted her ears to and fro. A cold breeze ruffled Levis cloak, and he saw others around him pull the fabric closer to their bodies.

Erwin slowed down to ride beside Levi and shot him a glance. He knew what Levi was thinking. Just then, a soft rumble disrupted the silence from above. Now, Levi was sending a warning.

' _Turn around'_

Erwin flicked his blue orbs. ' _Keep going.'_

Rain started to drip occasionally from the sky. Levi snarled. ' _Turn around now.'_

Erwin snapped his reins and retook his place up ahead, sending a glance over his shoulder.

_'Don't disobey.'_

He could have leapt off his horse then and there. Hanji, probably sensing the tension, glided up beside Levi. Thea flapped he reigns a few times, the feathers sending a gust of wind through his hair.

"He knows we need to turn around and take shelter in the forest, what the fuck is he doing." Levi didn't wait for her to ask.

Hanji shuffled in her custom saddle softly. "Maybe he's heading for the next bunch of trees next to the lake?"

"We haven't gone in there yet, it's uncharted. Why would he try new territory on the last mission?" Levi didn't wait for her response and urged his horse up next to Erwin's.

"We don't have time for this." The Raven warned. He didn't have to say that. Erwin knew it. He knew that Erwin knew it.

"We can make it to the grove of trees up there." The commander said finally.

"And what if we don't?" Levi hissed. It was full on raining now.

"We don't have time to go back now, Levi. The next forest is closer than the one we just came out of."

Levi looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the treetops were the only thing visible over the stretch of rolling hills. How had they come this far already? Narrowing his eyes, Levi fell back and retook his position. Hanji was still there. "What'd he say?" Levis silence was answer enough. Hanji resumed her position again and left levi to his thoughts.

The next few minutes were a blur for Levi. Heavy rain does that to him. It has this funny way of fucking with his head. Only minutes went by and a blinding downpour slapped the ground with thick raindrops. Levis clothes were soaked and clung to his body like an ice cold rag. Visibility was limited to only feet in front of his frantically running horse. He didn't even know if his squad was following him anymore.

Levi yelled into the downpour, searching for some kind of answer from behind the curtains of rain. He received a barely audible reply from somewhere behind him. Was it Petra? Maybe it was Oluo? A dark mass appeared and whizzed by his head, sending his horse reeling. Levi yelped as he was thrown from his saddle and skidded through the mud.

"Fuck!" Levi yelled as he slipped to his feet. Throwing his hands out for balance, he looked around wildly to make sense of the world around him. Rain pelted his form, slapping his skin and morphing his soaked hood to his head. He checked his gear, breathing out a sigh of relief to see that it was still usable. He tucked two fingers between his lips and whistled. Was his horse even still alive?

A dark mass came thundering towards him, almost startling the man as the horse skidded to a dancing halt beside him. He glanced at the animals front leg dribbling blood, but ignored it and hopped into the wet saddle. He let the reins slack and kicked, hoping that cobalt would lead them to a safe place.

\---

Levi opened his eyes groggily, squeezing them shut when light blinded his vision. He rubbed his eyes and shaded them as he opened them again. A bright blue sky greeted him, framed with tall tan grass that gathered around him.

Wait.

Bolting up in alarm, Levi had to kneel to see over the grass. It was a huge plain, no trees to be seen anywhere. Not this shit again. A titan toddled around in the far distance, and Levi ducked behind the grass. Shit shit shit. Levi looked down at his sides and gaped at the fumbled remains of his maneuver gear. He must have fallen off of cobalt and passed out. Fucking great.

Wait, cobalt. Where was his horse. Levi whistled, cringing softly when he heard a ruffle of grass nearby. He poked his head up in time to see the inky horse haul itself to its confused feet, looking in Levis direction. The stallion nickered happily and trotted to Levis side. The reins were snapped, the longer half hanging down from the end of the bit and dragging on the ground. Levi looked over and was relieved to see that the titan had left. It was just him and cobalt.

"Hello?" Someone called from the grass. Levis heart leapt. 

"Hanji?!" He called. Sure enough, the brunette popped up from the grass and smiled. 

In .2 seconds, the squad leader had him in a crushing hug. " _LEVI I TOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE OUT HERE YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW SCARED I WAS I TRIED TO FIND YOU AND THEA SNIFFED YOU OUT BUT I NEVER SAW YOU AND I JUST WOKE UP AND NOW YOURE HERE OH THANK GOD YOURE OK!_ " Suddenly, Levi was thrown aside and Hanji looked around again. "Where's thea?!" 

She whistled, and moments went by without a response. Thundering hooves behind them broke the silence, and Hanji dramatically threw herself at the monster horse. Levi ignored her and tied the reins back together and pulled them over the horses head.

"We gotta get out of here." Levi sighed heavily. "The only problem is, where is here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter X.X sorry. Some chapters are longer than others depending on how much time I have during the week. 
> 
> Yep. Levis lost again. Seeing a pattern here? 
> 
> Feel free to leave feedback! I love kudos and comments. 
> 
> Have a fantastic week, see yall next Sunday!


	39. MY BAD D:

Hey all, because of a time crunch this week I'm afraid I'll have to upload Tuesday night. I didn't get enough done for a chapter yet. Sorry!


	40. Grounded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET ME EXPLAIN

Let's go, Hanji." Levi sighed. The Raven twirled around to the jumpy brunette cataloging wildflowers hidden amongst the long grass. She popped up, hair slightly askew but her smile as bright as ever. Slapping her notebook shut, she pounced ahead to walk with Thea. 

Thea was put up to the job of finding the rest of the corps. And, apparently, they were a little farther than Levi hoped. They'd been walking for about an hour. You would think he could spend a little time to think, but instead he was pushing a curious squad leader back into line every few minutes. Cataloging is great, but maybe at another time when they can spare an extra moment. Certainly not now.

Cobalt pushed through the grass at Levis heels, the reins held slack in the mans hand. He didn't feel like riding. Instead, he watched the two up front. Hanji walked briskly to keep up with the mares long steps, her hands waving as she talked about Sina knows what. The mares inky black ears twisted and flicked as she listened and tracked at the same time. It was adorable, really. Hanji and Thea had grown an incredible bond, a complete 180 from the third degree burn chaos they all remember fondly. The two reminded Levi of himself and ______.

Her memory wasn't as painful now. To be honest, it was actually looked back on with a smile. The experience was more than he could ever ask for. And with the extracted parasite in their hands, she left behind the template to a new future of fighting the Titans. Thea's success proved some of Hanjis theories, and busted the others, but helped them progress all the same. Levi was finally at peace with it. 

Levi pushed a strand of thick, coarse grass away from his face and peered over the plain. Thea was leading them into a thin forest. It almost seemed like a no brainer, "When in doubt, hide in a big ass forest." I mean why not, it's not like there's a shortage. 

It was only when they were a good ways in that Levi could smell the live campfires and hear guards rustling in the trees. They found a small clearing, soldiers bustling about a makeshift camp complete with pitched tents, bonfires, and temporary tables. Nanaba was in front of him in seconds, waving over a medic as she rapid fired questions at the two.

Levi barely had time to respond before Nifa was there to take the horses and he was rushed off to the medics tent. He was sat on a cot where a medic named Daniel checked him over, though he insisted he was fine and just needed some damn water. He didn't get his water until Daniel deemed him completely fine, and left the man to drink in peace. He sat and finished the cup, about to leave and check into camp. He almost did. Until the tent flap was pushed back, and the commander stepped in.

Levi should have been mad. He should have gotten up as soon as he saw a tuft of blonde hair and chiseled his ass with a sharp piece of his mind. But he wasn't, so he didn't. 

"Levi, nice to see you're back in camp. How are you feeling?"

The captain shrugged. "Fine."

"Where were you?" The blonde folded a paper in his hand, one Levi recognized to be a map. He must have just come from a meeting. 

"Oh it was fantastic, Erwin. I slept in a muddy field and woke up with a sunburn, and then Hanji and I got to pick wildflowers and sing songs all the way back to camp! It was the trip of a lifetime." He shot a sharp glance at the blonde and fiddled with the cup in his hand. 

Erwin sighed. "Yes, your story is similar to many others. But yours is different in you made it back alive."

The Raven put his cup on the makeshift table in the corner. "How many?"

"At least 10 as of this morning." Levi nodded. "Any supply carts?" Erwin shook his head.

Levi nodded again, this time a little less noticeably than before. "How long do we plan on staying in the forest? Our rations were only meant to last two days."

"We have to head out as soon as possible," The blonde flipped the map open to reveal the course plan, "We were actually waiting for you to show up. We knew Hanji would lead you back."

Erwin had little more to say. Of course he cornered Levi into the same old well being questions. 'How are you feeling' and all that crap. It wasn't too long afterwards that the blonde left the tent, and Levi, with nothing else to do, followed. He looked around and realized that though everyone was moving, nobody was really productive. That would have to change.

"Petra, Gunther, Eld, Oluo." The squad appeared around him like magic in a matter of seconds, as if they were nearby and waiting for his orders. After a quick instruction, his squad had dispersed and were gathering cadets to help. It took an hour to pack the camp, and by the time they finished, it was mid day. 

Levi caught Nifa with a stack of blank parchment bundles in her arms, asking her where his horse was. The girl happily pointed him to the upper left corner of camp and set him on his way.  
Nifa had put cobalt out on a lead with the other horses to graze, bandages spotted with red winding up and down the stallions inky legs. Levi felt bad for his poor steed. Cobalt had carried him through some of the roughest times, it was a miracle he was even still alive. Most horses never stayed for more than two years, and were either killed or lost in combat. But his horse had been with him since day one, and was a fighter just like his rider.

Everything packed and everyone in line, Erwin spurred his horse into the forest to resume the expedition. Right off the bat, Levi felt exhausted. Sleeping in a field kind of does that to you. But he pushed it away and blinked to keep himself awake and aware. But the more he concentrated, the more he noticed something off.

For almost the whole time he'd been in camp, he hadent heard a single bird. And the story was the same for this section of the woods. No birds. The air was thick and quiet, but held an eerie calmness that made Levi want to stop his horse. His head turned to look behind him, eyes meeting Hanjis and with a nod he knew they were thinking the same thing. Thea's ears suddenly pricked forward and the mare whinnied.

A large, fat titan practically leapt from behind a wall of trees and bared it's teeth at the head of the expedition, moaning hungrily. The commander swerved around its thick legs, but Levi took no chances. Leaping from his horse, he took to the skies and sliced through its nape, turning back to his squad. 

But it didn't stop there. Almost all at once, the expedition was bombarded with Titans pouring from the quickly thinning trees. It was Levis worst nightmare. He didn't even have to look to know that more than a few people would fall victim in only a few minutes time. And that reality was all he needed to spring into action. Petra and Eld zoomed past him overhead with the same ideas, and faintly, he could see Oluo and Gunther tag-teaming five Titans at once up ahead.

It was instant war.

With a nod, he retracted his hooks and spun around mid-air, sending them back out to the front. He would take care of the front with Hanji and Mikes squads. Nifa was bouncing gracefully from branch to branch in a taunting chase against an impatient deviant. Last second, she turned and activated her gear, fast like a mouse with slicing the nape. 

Levi took out quite a few Titans of his own. He dully noted the many people around him, fighting an endless stream of Titans that was way too constant for anyone's peace of mind. He found Hanji, the brunette smiling excitedly as they tag teamed a 10 meter. She swung around the trees as Levi blinded the screaming beast, Hanji slicing through the nape and landing on the Titans wobbling head. 

"YAHOOOOOOO!" She laughed and rode it to the ground with a heavy slam. Levi only shook his head and landed on a branch. 

"Seen Erwin?" He asked Hanji when she came to his side. He hadn't seen the blonde since that fat bastard leapt in front of him. 

"I think I saw him with Mikes squad earlier." She put a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of It, I haven't seen much of my squad." 

Brow furrowing, Levi realized that he hadn't seen his squad since they passed him in the forest. How were they doing? "I'm sure they're fine," He mumbled, mostly for his own comfort. But Hanji heard him and slapped him on the shoulder playfully.

"You're right!" She chirped. "I'm going to find eyebrows, I'll let you know how it goes if I can find you. Stay safe." She pulled her goggles over her eyes and leapt from the branch, zooming out of sight.

Levi decided he'd had enough of this small break and jumped back into combat. Titan after titan, Levi couldn't tell you how many he killed. He himself had started to become almost sick with the search, kill, repeat routine. The stream just kept coming, and the Titans were effectively separating the survey corps. Levi had been driven back into the thicker trees where only the smaller Titans could get, but even then, it was no light work load. 

Riding the wires up, he hovered for a second as he flipped his blade in his hand and shot back down, twirling through the nape of a 6 meter. He came to rest on a tall branch, breathing heavily and covered in sweat and dirt. He had no idea how long he'd been out here. He hadn't seen another human being in a while, possibly hours. He was starting to wonder if he was even fighting Titans from the same swarm. 

Levi looked down at his hands, steaming from the filthy blood. His blades were cracking, and this was his last pair. He was sure he was getting low on gas too. If he was going to fight any longer, he needed to find a supply cart. He activated his gear and headed for the edge of the forest.

Bobbing and weaving around trees he ignored Titans that gazed up at him lazily as he searched for a sign of human life. His eyes grazed the forest floor, swallowing hard as he noticed scattered blood stains leading to a mangled corpse. Levi looked up and yelped. A 12 meter deviant met him at eye level, grinning slyly as it swiped a thick hand at the soldier. Surprised, Levi could only brace for a sloppy u-turn that couldn't have happened any slower. The man was batted out to the side like a fly. Looking down, Levi felt his gut churn when he saw only flapping belts where his thigh box had been. He straightened himself out, trying to catch a branch with his feet, but was moving too fast and pitched over the other side.

Levis outstretched hands grazed the bark as he fell, and he cursed when he looked down and saw the 12 meter approaching. He was bracing for impact when he was snatched out of the air. He put his hands on the titan fingers around his middle and pushed hard, but froze. These weren't titan fingers.

He barely had time to register it when he was thrown onto a branch haphazardly. He tumbled for a second and stuck out his hands to stop himself. There's no fucking way. The Raven breathed for a second, mentally preparing himself, and slowly turned his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know.  
> "this is some bullshit you have .5 seconds to explain."
> 
> So as most of you all know, finals are coming up. Well for me, even though semi finals are next week, finals preparation began three weeks ago.
> 
> It am a very weak person health wise. I get stressed and then suppress it, stress, surpress, stress, surpress, and then I end up getting sick or losing my mind. Well a little bit of both happened. I had a shit ton of work, I got really sick, and then blanked out and saw red for a while, so I didn't get a lot of writing done.
> 
> When Sunday rolled around, I was pretty much delirious from lack of sleep and quickly plummeting health xD I'm still kind of sick. Then I never got anything done for the promised Tuesday update, and here w are two weeks later.
> 
> Writers have everyday lives just like you all, I hope you can understand.
> 
> BUT ramble fest here we go. THIS IS THE HOME STRETCH! 1 more chapter guys! It's almost over! This is incredible, since August I've gotten so much love and support for this abomination. I'm a disgrace to my ancestors but you guys love it and I love you all so much for that lol. Writing this Fic kept me going and gave me an out when I needed it. And even though it's not the absolute best fic ever, it's my fic, it's my first, and with you all as a part of it, that makes it special to me. So thank you all so so much. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are wondefulllll~~~~
> 
> Btw, LoneWolf5225 is at it again with an absolute MASERPIECE of Levi and not-toothless lol. I don't know if its in the gallery but if you look up HTTYS in the search box you'll see it. It's exactly how I picture those two. 
> 
> Ok ok I've said enough go back to your lives citizens. See you all next week with the last chapter! Prepare yourselves.


	41. Fly Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHH

_______ stood, slightly curling into herself. Her eyes were downcast and staring at her paws almost in shame. The more levi stared, he found himself lost for breath as he studied her somewhat scrawny form.

"_______?" He called softly. There was no response, save for a small twitch of the ear.

Levi stood up straight, and felt his heart thumping in his chest. Emotions all at once flooded his mind. He was happy, he was so excited and at the same time he wanted to cry and smile. But above all, he was angry. No, furious.

"Do you realize how long I've been looking for you? How long all of us have been searching?" Her head bowed away, and Levi was scared for a second she would take off. But he kept talking. She needed to hear this as much as he needed to say it. "Do you know how many hours, horses, equipment, lives, were spent on empty expeditions? Coming home empty handed all those times to an impatient crowd?"

"And then I finally found you, and you ran away. You just left me there. Why? Why did you run? Why did you avoid us? I know you saw us, I know you were following us, you were following me. Why? _WHY_?" Levi was filled with questions he knew would never be answered.

"And then you just pop out of fucking nowhere!" He threw his hands up and slapped them back down. The dragon curled her tail softly. Slowly uncurling, her ears twitched, but her eyes remained on her paws. "We've spent so much time looking for you. I've spent so many hours wondering where you were, how we could get you back, because we need you back. We need your help. This power you have, we think you could help us beat the Titans. If you came back with us you could be a soldier. Not a weapon. You aren't a weapon. You're a living, breathing thing." Levi could see her eyes widen for a fraction of a second.

"But," Levi breathed. "That's not up to me. It's your choice. If you run now, I won't say a word. They'll never know I saw you today. But is is our last expedition to look for you. After that . . ." He trailed off. "You're here now, and I'll give you a choice. Will you come back, with us, and help us fight the Titans? Help us win? Or do you want to stay here?"

Now, finally, she looked at Levi. His breathing stilled hopefully, but a lump slowly rose in his throat with every second that passed without an answer of any kind. She just stood here, watching him with an unreadable expression. He wanted to say so many things, but he stayed silent. He didn't want to sway her answer with emotions, no. He wanted her answer to come from the heart. From what she really wanted. Because in the end, that's all that mattered to him.

Her eyes fell to her paws again and she shuffled to face Levi. Then, her head rose powerfully and Levi swore he saw a twinkle in her bright blue orbs. A single nod was all it took, and Levi practically tripped into her side. A long held breath fell from his lips in the form of a laugh as a paw prodded his side playfully. He stepped back and studied her face. A sincere, goofy smile and an excited flick of the tail spiked a lightness in his chest and he smiled.

Levi turned his head to the forest when a scream ripped through the trees. He was suddenly aware of the world around him, the thumping of titan feet, the faint zipping of 3DMG wires. Levi turned back to _______, a stoic determination replacing relief for them both, and Levi held out his hand.

"Are you sure? There's no turning back." He asked. She nosed her head under his hand and attempted a smile. Levis heart soared.

"Let's go then." He hauled himself onto her neck, hands instinctively falling between her ears. He could feel the warmth under his palms, the rough, yet smooth surface of the individual scales, putting his scales at home to shame. Shrugging his shoulder loosely, he leaned down and pressed his heels softly.

"Let's do this."

\---

Erwin twisted and turned through the gnarled branches, swerving to avoid a large hand. He gripped his swords harder and whipped around a tree, gas trailing behind him. He dove to avoid a hard chomp of teeth and spun around a groping hand, riding up along the deviants side and slicing the nape.

They lost many men already, that much he knew. It was an obvious guess. Titans flooded the area one by one, surprising the survey corps. The supply carts were ordered to retreat into the thick forest with one soldier to accompany them, so that left half of the expedition to fight in the field. And from what Erwin had seen, they lost about a third of their fighters.

The blonde caught a high branch and hauled himself up. It wasn't long that he was standing there until Mike showed up. Mikes squad was out there fighting hard. They all were. He was very proud of his men. But out of everyone he'd seen, everyone he passed and tag teamed, he hadn't seen Levi once.

"I haven't seen him either," Mike sniffed. He had a way of knowing what Erwin was thinking. "I've seen his squad."

Erwin grunted in reply and looked off into the forest. "That isn't like him. He usually sticks close by. Should we ask Hanji?" He turned back to Mike, but the man wasn't paying attention. The squad leader, brow furrowed, was sniffing lightly. Suddenly, his brow shot up in surprise.

"He's-SWOOSH!" Mike was interrupted by a large being soaring close over their heads and diving after a sprinting deviant.

Erwin gaped when he studied the familiar black form darting through the trees. In the distance, he heard Hanji cheer, and he knew in that moment that what he saw is what he hoped it would be.

"We're back in business!" He heard Hanji call from somewhere behind the two, shooting over their heads after the dragon. Mike leapt off the branch without a word, and Erwin took back to the skies with them.

The blue flashes and high pitches squeals were no strangers to his ears as the blonde raced along, replenishing his blades with newfound energy. All around him, soldiers cried out in surprise and relief with every electric flash from the trees. They had hope again. Cracking his neck, he sped after a toddling 6 meter.

\---

It was more than natural to twist and turn with the dragon. His eyes remained unblinking but furrowed in concentration with every charging blast. Titan after titan fell at their hands, and Levi knew that even though it seemed like a winning battle, it could easily turn to shit at any moment. But still they carried on, giving everything they had in every slice, every shot, every wing beat.

He urged ________ up and over a branch, twirling into a dive with a perfectly aimed shot at a 10 meter. The brown haired behemoth turned slowly, a deadpanned look had only seconds to study the two before its head snapped back and it fell. The dragons wings spread, riding the speed out and turning sharply. In the distance, Levi could see Erwin erupt from behind a tree trunk, and their eyes met for a split second. The commander eyed Levi grimly before he disappeared behind the steaming corpse of a fallen titan. What was that about?

________ growled and turned sharply after a scream from the left, ripping Levi from his thoughts. A man, cornered against a tree by a 5 meter titan, gear torn and blades nowhere to be found. The dragon dove, narrowly grabbing the man by his arm and soaring over another Titans head. Bracing her back legs against the small of the mans back, they found a wandering horse and dropped the man into the saddle, sending the scared animal deeper into the forest. Levi knew the horse would find the supply carts.

Wait, supply cart. Levi tugged lightly on her neck and steered them towards the forest. "I need blades." He called. It took only minutes for them to find the carts, and Levi was suited up with new gear and fresh blades in no time. With the promise of return, Levi took to the skies with _______ and sped back to the battle field.

They went up and shot out of the treetops, studying the land around them. The plains was almost titan free. That meant most of them were in the forest, and it was now a game of elimination. almost excitedly, the two dove back down through the trees and skimmed the forest floor.

A thick bunch of Titans met them eventually, and Levi sprung an idea. Standing on the dragons neck, he gathered his controls and bent his knees. When they approached a tree, Levi leapt off of ______s neck, twirling parallel to the ground over a branch, and fanned his hooks into the ground. The forward motion propelled him forward as he spun through two napes at once and twirled back around before he could hit the dirt, swinging back to cut a third nape while the dragon finished off the other 2.

He retracted his lines and stuffed the controls in the side holsters, bracing himself as _______ flew out from under him and caught him perfectly on her neck. With a triumphant roar, they sped off to find the rest of the survey corps. But what they found wasn't what they wanted to see. The humans were all standing in the treetops, more Titans than before at their heels, reaching greedily into the leaves for a meal.

"LEVI!" Someone shouted from below him. Thea and Hanji were suddenly right in front of him, forcing the dragon to skid to a hover. Thea and _______ studied each other, puzzled.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Levi wasn't sure if she was talking about him or the dragon.

"What happened? I was gone for 10 minutes." He asked breathlessly.

"We were given orders to regroup." She said, her expression changing subtly. "I don't think we're winning, Levi."

Levi gave Hanji a puzzled look. "Where's Erwin?"

The dragon landed on a large branch, greeted with heavy gasps resounding from the surrounding trees and upper branches. Levis squad was sitting with mikes squad on a branch above them, and Erwin was standing with Mike. The captain leapt off of _______s neck and approached the blonde.

"Levi." He nodded both to him and ________, who did nothing but stare away from everyone.

"Erwin. What is this?" The blonde took a deep breath and sighed. Levi almost thought this was a joke. The man always had a plan. Always had words. He always had hope.

"We lost, Levi. In more ways than one." Levi felt heat boiling in his stomach.

"So you're just giving up, then? What the hell is the matter with you?" Levi was scared. He was terrified of the defeat he saw in this mans eyes.

"Look around," The man almost growled. "We lost half of our fighting forces. The gas is out in everyone's tanks, their blades are long broken and gone, the horses took off and it's too dangerous to summon them. Even if they came, we would be swamped with Titans. We don't even have enough gas to make it to the supply carts."

Levi was taken back. "I can fly back to the supply carts with Hanji and bring gas, we can-"

"There isn't enough gas for everyone, Levi. The Titans would just follow us back." Erwin said blankly.

The captain felt his blood run cold as he stepped away. " _WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH ALL OF YOU?!"_ He yelled. Everyone gave him the same look. Defeated. They were tired, broken, giving up, had given up. "YOURE JUST GOING TO SIT HERE? AND DO NOTHING?!"

"Levi," a soft voice called from above him. It was Nifa. "There isn't anything we can do."

"There's too many of them. And too little of us." Keji called from another branch.

"We tried, sir. We really did. But the death toll is too high, and our own deaths would come soon after touching the ground, even with a horse." Nanaba too?

Shaking his head, Levi almost burst out laughing. What is this sudden wave of negativity? This wasn't the survey corps. These weren't the people he knew. These weren't the prideful soldiers he ate with, trained with, passed in the hallway. No, today, they were different.

"Levi, sir," Petra called from above. "You have _______, and Hanji has thea. You two can leave."

"She's right." Erwin nodded. "You two, go back to the remaining men in the forest. Take them back to the walls, protect them at all costs."

"Erwin!" Hanji called in disbelief, lip quivering. "I'm not leaving my squad!"

Levi nodded. "And I won't leave mine."

Mike was leaned against the trees, staring indifferently at his boots.

Levi took a deep breath and shot Hanji a reassuring look, his gaze wafting back to the commander. "We can figure this out. I'll figure this out."

The air was tense and heavy. The more he stood there, the more Levi began to think that maybe this was it. He was so sure back then. He found _________, everything was supposed to be ok after they found her. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to ________. The animal was standing stock still, blue slits staring angrily at the Titans. Her wings glowed a vibrant orange and her claws dug deep into splintering bark. She turned her head towards Levi with a nod and took off into the trees.

Suddenly, a screech began to build, and blast after blast rained down onto the Titans. From behind him, he heard a monstrous neigh, and Thea went after the dragon. The survey corps backed away as fire engulfed the ground. Black and blue blurs were all Levi saw, heat was all he felt and screeching roars were all he heard as he stared, mesmerized.

"They're fighting the Titans!" Someone called. Everyone began to stand up, gasps coming everytime a blue blur erupted from the midst of steaming bodies. Suddenly, a cheer from Levis left started a series of excited yells and chants from the forest. Hanji grabbed Levis shoulders, and he felt a tear hit his cheek. He never found out who's it was. Raging red fire spewed into the crowd of Titans, a plasma blast coming from the other side. Levi couldn't help but feel his heart swell and let out a laugh with every deafening blast and crackling flame spewing from the treetops.

And then, it was silent. ________ practically tackled the branch Levi was on, gripping it with extended claws and raging orange light crawling up her hide. The dragon pinned her ears, snarled, and let out a monstrous roar. Thea landed next to her, wings and feet ignited in purple flames, snorting fiery breaths and stamping her feet.

Then, more came from the forest. Levis heart dropped to his feet, but it was short lived. The two countered with waves of fire and plasma blasts. He almost wanted it to stop. It seemed so abnormal, so weird even, to see it taking place. Part of him wanted to run from the chaos. He felt so small and weak compared to the endless power behind these two animals, and at the same time, stronger because he tamed them.

Almost as soon as it started, it ended. The last deviant came crashing to the ground, one amongst many steaming corpses littering the forest floor. The in the area were catching fire and destroyed, and the ground was scorched and damaged. Trees were falling down around them in creaking waves and loud bangs. The silence from the soldiers was almost hilarious. Almost.

_______ huffed to Thea, who in turn bowed her large head and the two turned back to them. Hanji was the first to break the silence, running forward and embracing her now extinguished mare. _______ walked around the two and approached Levi almost cautiously. The captain walked up and jutted out his hip.

"Do you see the giant fucking mess you just made?" He said sternly. A few laughs echoed from the remaining trees that held a few soldiers. The dragon rolled her eyes and pressed a playful paw into his side.

Hanji walked around _______ and nudged the dragon in the side. "Ha, you look good in orange, kid!" She cackled. The dragon garbled at her, the plates on her cheeks fanning.

Levi turned, looking at the commander. His gut flipped. Erwin sighed heavily and stepped forward, but was quickly thrown back into the bark as Levi pinned him by his collar.

" _If I ever see you give up on us like that's again, I'll throw you out and take over myself."_ He whispered, snarling. He didn't leave room for reply, yanking his hands away and stalking back to ________. A look from Erwin as he walked over told Levi that he would hear an apology later. Levi stepped aside as the commander addressed _______, who lifted her head proudly.

"Today, you saved my men. You fought for them when they had no fight left. You lent your strength, your power, your life, to give them theirs. I have nothing else to say, except for thank you." Erwin smiled, genuinely, at _______. "And now, I would like to offer a proposal."

"No need, Erwin," Levi piped up. "I already gave her one."

"Yes, you may have," Erwin turned softly. "But she never heard mine."

"I, Commander Erwin Smith, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, offer you a high ranking position under Captain Levi in the Special Operations Squad. Should you accept this position, you understand that you are dedicating your life to eliminating the Titans and protecting humanity, no matter the sacrifice. You will live, train, and fight with the elites, taking part in all activities and duties of a regular soldier. Do you accept?" He finished firmly.

With barely a moments hesitation, ________ nodded, bowing her head to the blonde. "An honorable decision. I welcome you into the Survey Corps." Erwin smiled, stepped back, and saluted. In unison, every other soldier, including Levi, saluted ________. The dragon could only beam, meeting Levis gaze with pride.

Today was the beginning of a brand new era. The beginning of the end of the Titans. Together, with her help and his guidance, there's no telling what kind of shit they'll get into. And frankly, Levi can't wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END.
> 
> NO IM ACTUALLY ABOUT TO CRY.  
> YOU ALL.  
> YOU STUCK WITH ME EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A HUGE SHIT STORM. THERES OVER 4100 VIEWS AND SO MANY KUDOS AND GUYS I JUST WANNA SAY  
> I L O V E Y O U  
> YOU ALL HAVE NO IDEA I PROMISE MY NEXT FIC WILL BE SO MUCH BETTER.  
> Ok I'm done yelling xD a leave a comment and tell me what you thought! There will be one more chapter after this, so it's not over quite yet but we are at the end of our journey.  
> Have you all checked out LoneWolf5225 on deviantart yet? They've drawn some AMAZING art of Levi and our Night Fury! Seriously it's so awesome, go check it out!   
> Thank you all so much for everything, I honestly have no idea how we made it this far.  
> I will see you all next week with the finale! Have a fantastic week!


	42. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter. Very short, but enjoy.

It didn't take as long as the thought to gather up the horses and make their way back to the supply carts. Everyone was counted, names written down to be checked later on the "who's dead and who's not" list. The ride all the way back to the walls, while uneventful, was quick and quiet with little conversation. 

You should have seen the MPs and the Garrison when the survey corps arrived back with ______. Of course, Nile wasn't happy at all, Pixis was indifferent, and Zackley merely shook his head as he prepared official enlistment papers. It wasn't an issue to get her enlisted, they didn't even take her to court. Levi would like to think that they were all just tired of the shit. The townspeople said nothing as Levi, perched on ________s neck, walked with the soldiers and their horses through the plaza. Neither cheer nor hate was made in their direction, just hilarious silence that told them that they had a long road of acceptance ahead.

But that was a battle for another time.

Levi sat on the edge of the wall, legs hanging over the side as the Raven watched the sun set behind brilliantly colored clouds. ________ was curled around him, head resting on her paws as she too watched the sun fade, bringing the end to another day.

They'd been back for almost a month. The air was just starting to get a tinge of cold in the mornings and afternoons, and the colors of the evening sky returned to the trees leaves. _______ was a full fledged member of the survey corps, with her own dorm room and everything. Double doors had been installed into the castle wall of her assigned room, allowing her access to the outside whenever she needed it. 

Levi couldn't be prouder as he looked back and studied her uniform. Oh yes, she got that too. A forest green cloth with the Wings of Freedom slipped around her neck like a bandana and was held in place by clipping around both front legs, hugging her chest. A custom saddle of woven leather was almost flat against the back of her neck, clipping around her neck and behind her legs. Both were made by Hanji, to whom he was extremely grateful for the saddle. Stirrups were much easier for trick flying.

If you asked Levi a few years ago what he would be doing now, he would probably tell you something along the lines of "Taking a large shit" or "Not talking to you." Never in his lifetime would he even guess that a dragon would walk- er, fly, into his life. But in more ways than one, he's so glad it happened. And even though it took a shit ton of time, energy and frustration, for the first time in his life, he got back something he lost. 

He still has the first sketch he made of her, and he still has those two scales tucked carefully into the box on his nightstand. But he no longer feels to need to dig them out. Because now, he has the real thing.

And that's all he ever needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about to release a cloud of tears.  
> This is the end of HTTYS! Or is it? I'm debating a second book that - if yall like the idea - will start maybe end of July early August? 
> 
> New Edit: I decided not to do a second book of HTTYS. I went back to it a little while ago and found myself tired of the prompt. Future fics are not garanteed, I have no idea if I'll keep writing. 
> 
> Alright so now comes the waterworks.  
> Since August all of you have been so kind and supportive. I'm not the best writer. Hell I'm not even like 23044058th best. I'm a shitty writer. But you all stuck around and read and gave kudos and comments and you were all just here in general and you kept me going for so long. I love all of you so much. Thank you for this.
> 
> Over the next few weeks I will change the Fic some. I'll combine chapters, primp and change certain details until I'm completely satisfied with it *which might be never lmao* so if you come back to it and it's different just heads up. It won't change drastically, just tiny stuff.
> 
> Alrighty. That's all I got to say. You all can come find me on tumblr at heichous-cleaning-supplies and on deviantart at Rabbitsmeow123. Send me messages! Send me asks! Don't be shy I'm a lonely egg come talk to mepleeassee.  
> And of course you can find me here. I love you all so so much and I look forward to feedback over what you want me to do next! Have a fantastic few months guys. To all of you with finals- GO GET EM. Bye!


End file.
